KwaZulu-Natal Sharks Board Maritime Centre of Excellence – In 2014 we celebrated 50 years of successful bather protection along the KwaZulu-Natal coastline.The organisation constantly seeks a balance between the protection of bathers with the least possible impact on the marine environment. The Board embarked upon a net reduction programme some years ago and total coverage of shark safety gear (nets and/or a combination of nets and drumlines) has gradually dropped from 44km to 23km of the KwaZulu-Natal coastline, without adversely compromising bather safety at 37 popular protected beaches from Richards Bay to Port Edward.