The southern African sardine run usually occurs from May through July.
Known especially from South Africa’s KwaZulu-Natal coast, the run involves Southern African pilchards, Sardinops sagax, moving northward in cool coastal waters. The fish are associated with spawning on the Agulhas Bank and with a north-flowing pulse of cold water.
The event produces spectacular feeding frenzies. Dolphins, sharks, whales, seals, seabirds and people pursuing the fish all gather around the dense shoals. The sardines may form enormous bait balls as predators compress them into tight formations.
Although often compared with the Serengeti wildebeest migration, the sardine run is not perfectly predictable every year. Its timing and intensity depend on ocean temperatures, currents and the location of the fish. “Sardine” is also a popular name here: the fish are more specifically Southern African pilchards.