Coast KZN

Spectacular animal mass migrations are by no means limited to the vertebrates of the world. It is a universal phenomenon found in all major animal groups including birds, mammals, fish, reptiles, amphibians, insects and crustaceans. Although often small in body size, the epic journeys that many crustaceans undertake to feed or complete lifecycles are no less impressive. Well known examples are the daily movement of shoals of krill across the Southern Ocean, rising hundreds of metres to surface waters in the evening to feed and descending at daybreak to ocean depths to avoid predators.

Historically, Lake St Lucia in northern KZN experienced a unique annual phenomenon known as the “mullet run”.  During the months of April/May each year, large shoals (measuring up to 10 km in length) of adult flathead mullet would migrate southwards from North Lake and False Bay through South Lake and the Narrows to the mouth of the estuary and out to sea to spawn. Unfortunately due to gradual degradation of the St Lucia system, mullet populations have dwindled over the years and no evidence of the famous mullet run has been observed for nearly two decades. Fortunately relatively healthy flathead mullet populations still exist in the coastal marine environment and other KZN estuaries. 

The whale shark is the largest fish in the ocean, reportedly attaining lengths of 17 m, although individuals longer than 14 m are now rarely encountered.  It occurs in all tropical and most subtemperate waters and is capable of enormous movements across ocean basins.  The whale shark is one of the few sharks protected by the Marine Living Resources Act (No. 18 of 1998) in South Africa.