The KwaZulu-Natal Sharks Board
The KwaZulu-Natal Sharks Board
It’s quite a mandate – make sure that no bathers are attacked by sharks but also be kind and ecologically sensitive to sharks! Yet that is exactly what the KwaZulu-Natal Sharks Board (previously the Natal Sharks Board) has been doing since 1952!
Back when South Africa was still a Union, a notorious spate of shark attacks took place in Natal, from mid-December to early April. This period really rattled the region with nine attacks and six fatalities, and eventually became known as “Black December”. The coastal communities were completely shocked. In retrospect, a perfect storm of factors seemed to be at play: holidaymakers flooding the beaches, coastal flooding washing debris into the sea, and even whale carcasses from nearby whaling operations that likely attracted sharks closer to shore. The impact was intense – fear spread quickly, beaches were shut down, tourism took a major hit, and suddenly shark safety became a serious priority. While Durban had already experimented with shark nets as early as 1952, it was the aftermath of Black December that really pushed authorities to roll out widespread netting along the Natal coast in the 1960s as a direct response to the crisis.
Sample of the shark nets on display
What began as a local safety response soon gained momentum, and by the 1960s the practice had expanded along other Natal beaches as public concern and coastal tourism grew. To bring structure and oversight to these efforts, the Natal Sharks Board was established as a statutory body in 1964, taking on advisory and supervisory responsibilities to manage and coordinate shark control measures along the coastline.
Over time, the shark netting programme didn’t just grow – it evolved into a fully-fledged operation. Between 1974 and 1982, the Board steadily took on more responsibility, eventually handling all the servicing and maintenance itself and becoming the sole authority in charge of shark netting across the province. This hands-on control paved the way for major expansion, and by 1992 the programme reached its peak, with an impressive 44.6 kilometres of nets safeguarding 44 beaches along the coast. Reflecting both this growth and the country’s changing political landscape, the organisation later adopted a new name – the KwaZulu-Natal Sharks Board (KZNSB) – following the transformation of Natal into KwaZulu-Natal.
Baby shark, anyone? The gift shop has a wide array of toys… and clothing.
In the modern era, the focus of the KwaZulu-Natal Sharks Board has shifted from expansion to innovation and balance. After 2000, a major effort got underway to reduce the overall environmental footprint of shark control, with net lengths cut back significantly – by about 40% by 2004. Around the same time, drumlines emerged as an important alternative and supplement to traditional nets, building on trial runs from the 1990s and expanding more widely through the 2000s. Alongside these changes, the KZNSB has leaned heavily into research, studying sharks, dolphins, and other marine life caught in the gear while actively exploring new, less invasive solutions such as shark repellent technologies. Today, it continues to manage nets and drumlines at 37 coastal locations, working to strike a careful balance between keeping bathers safe and reducing the impact on marine ecosystems. They claim that shark safety gear has reduced (by over 90%) the occurrence of serious shark attacks at protected beaches. Despite the hugely increased numbers of bathers at beaches, serious attacks have been reduced to only one every 10 years.
There are even Megalodon teeth for sale in the gift shop!
Shark drumlines emerged as an alternative to shark nets, first used in Queensland, Australia in 1962. South Africa learned by example, and back in 1999, an important initiative got underway to cut down the total number of shark nets as part of broader efforts to reduce the accidental capture of harmless animals. The big shift was replacing sections of netting with drumlines – basically a large anchored float (originally an actual drum) with a single baited hook hanging below it. Most beaches are now protected either by two nets or by a combination of one net and four drumlines, although the exact setup varies from beach to beach.
One can experience an interesting dissection of a shark on the KZNSB tour…
By 2019, the KZNSB had rolled out 165 drumlines along the coast, slashing the total length of nets to just 15 km – an impressive reduction of almost 70%. A major milestone came in February 2007, when 76 drumlines were installed at 17 beaches along the Hibiscus Coast, replacing nearly half (about 4 km) of the existing nets. The whole point of bringing in drumlines was to reduce bycatch of non-shark species like whales, dolphins, and turtles that were getting unintentionally caught in the nets – and it’s worked, with a 47.5% drop in non-target captures. Drumlines have since been added at Richards Bay and were introduced to all protected beaches in the KwaDukuza Municipality in November 2015. Today, a total of 107 drumlines are in use off the KZN coastline, showing just how far this more wildlife-friendly approach has come.
One of the most interesting objects found in a shark’s stomach was a hard hat – no head attached…
Most of the shark nets deployed by the KZNSB are 214m long and 6m deep and are secured at each end by two 35kg anchors; all have a stretched mesh of 51cm. The nets are laid in two parallel rows approximately 400m offshore and in water depths of 10-14m.
The tour begins with a very interesting video on all things sharks.
At the end of the day, there are only three species of shark that are significant in attacks on humans: the Great White shark, the Tiger shark and the Zambezi shark. Know that the whole concept of shark nets and drumlines is a highly controversial subject. The nets don’t form a barrier, and the drum lines are effectively baited hooks.
Interesting jawbone complete with the layers of teeth…
The vision of the KwaZulu-Natal Sharks Board Maritime Centre of Excellence (KZN Sharks Board) is to offer environmentally sensitive bather protection against sharks. The mission of the Board is to strive to be a leader in environmentally sensitive protection of bathers against sharks and in capacity building in the maritime sector. To this end, during the annual Sardine Run in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN), shark nets are temporarily removed from beaches between May and July to prevent sharks, dolphins, and other marine life from getting caught in the nets as they follow the massive sardine shoals. This removal leads to swimming bans at affected beaches (like those from Isipingo to Port Edward) to protect bathers from the heightened shark activity, though some areas may permit “discretionary bathing” at one’s own risk, based on lifeguard advice.
There are some really interesting displays – enabling you to get a real idea of the size of sharks.
My personal opinion? We don’t live in an ideal world and solutions are complex. Wildlife conflict, or ‘human-wildlife conflict’, happens when negative interactions occur between people and wildlife. Many people, who consider themselves ecologically aware, will say that no matter what, the wildlife should “win”. It is a lovely sentiment – until it is you or your family is attacked by a shark or trampled by an elephant. I believe it is conservation’s job to attempt to find win-win solutions. Which is by no means easy. But ultimately, in the long term, it is vital. For example, fatal shark attacks are an economic catastrophe to the local tourism industry. So, something has to be done. Have we found the perfect solution? I don’t believe so. But at least some organisations are trying. They also use the dead animals for research and spend time educating the public. I’m not sure what else can be asked of them.
A novel way of presenting older newspaper articles…
What I am sure of, is that if someone has better solutions, and the means to fund them, there will always be a friendly ear at any one of these organisations. To truly achieve in conservation, one needs a pragmatic approach with a focus on the biodiversity of the entire ecosystem. Here’s hoping that we make great strides in these areas going forward, which will greatly benefit the earth and likely, the survival of the target species and indeed the survival of the human race!
Jacqui Ikin & The Cross Country Team
INFO BOX:
KwaZulu-Natal Sharks Board:
Address: 1a Herrwood Drive, Umhlanga Rocks, KwaZulu-NatalTel: +27 031 566 0400 Email: ceo@shark.co.za
KwaZulu-Natal Sharks Board Maritime Centre of Excellence:
https://www.facebook.com/kznsb/
KwaZulu-Natal Sharks Board:
https://shark.co.za/