The great migration of life
Biodiversity
The sardine run, the world's largest animal migration
, takes place every year in southern Africa.
A mission to witness the world's largest animal migration.
It is a unique, extraordinary, grandiose animal instinct. A palpitation that makes the sea shiver at the tip of Africa, where the Atlantic and Indian oceans meet. This June, the promise will be kept once again. But for how long? Global warming and the rapid development of Africa's second largest economy threaten this incredible manifestation of wild nature.
The Sardine Run brings together the largest marine predators for a great feast. Only an aerial view can convey the full scale of the phenomenon: a monstrous black snake several kilometers long,
made up of billions of fish. We set out to better understand this still little-known phenomenon, while highlighting the beauty of the Sardine Run and the threat it faces.
the great migration
The Sardine Run is a migration of sardines and their predators along the eastern coast of the Cape of Good Hope towards the southern coast of Kwazulu Natal, South Africa. It is the largest animal migration on the planet in terms of biomass.
It takes place every southern winter, mobilizing up to several billion sardines. Climate-induced ocean currents create a migration corridor into which the fish rush. Thus, every year, sardines gather in huge schools several kilometers long, darkening the sea. Throughout their 1,500-kilometer journey, the sardines gorge themselves on the seasonal plankton bloom. But a host of predators follow close behind.
une biodiversité exceptionnelle
The waters surrounding South Africa are home to exceptional biodiversity: sardines, of course, but also Cape penguins, fur seals, albatrosses, petrels, cormorants, Cape gannets, leatherback turtles, sharks, dolphins, and numerous species of whales.
This constitutes a spectacular marine biological wealth, both along the coast and offshore, along canyons, seamounts, and the continental shelf. This entire ecosystem depends on the countless migrating sardines for food and survival.
Thus, the Sardine Run is an essential link in the marine balance of South Africa's eastern coast.
the tree that hides the forest
Another danger has recently emerged: the race for natural gas, exacerbated by Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Gas has not had its final say, according to oil companies seeking to exploit offshore deposits off the coast of South Africa in the coming years.
improvement of knowledge and transmission
During this mission, the 1 OCEAN team hopes to contribute to understanding the phenomenon by working with specialist scientists, promoting biodiversity, and highlighting its importance to local populations. Finally, we want to raise awareness of the threats to the phenomenon among local populations, political decision-makers, NGOs, etc.
This mission was carried out with the support of our partners.
Would you like to join us?