Letter. Fishing Ban During the Sardine Run – Really?

Back in July 2019 a letter appeared in a KwaZulu Natal (KZN) newspaper suggesting that fishermen shouldn’t fish during the sardine run and that all humans should be banned from the beaches. A year later KZN fishermen were granted sardine run permits under strict COVID-19 regulations. Members of the public were also not supposed to visit the beach, and certainly not swim, but the irresistible call to see the sardines did not stop them. What would a ban on fishing during this time achieve?