This Sardine, Hake, and Anchovy Recruitment Programme (SHARP)/St. Helena Bay Monitoring Line (SHBML) cruise was conducted on the Ellen Kuzwayo Voyage 108 from 19 to 23 March, 2012. SHARP: At the initiation of the original SARP project the operational objective was to investigate variability in the transport of clupeiod eggs and larvae by the Benguela jet current from the south coast spawning grounds to the west coast nursery area as this would impact recruitment, thereby influencing the abundance of pelagic resources. To date 17 years worth of data have been collected on a transect perpendicular to the coast off Slangkop, the SARP line. Many valuable conclusions have been drawn using the information. Though the SARP line has contributed to its initial goal, the wealth of data and knowledge accumulated over the years suggests it is time for a revamp and extension of the SARP line. The idea is to strengthen the sampling strategy to include a more comprehensive experimental design that not only targets cluepoid eggs and larvae but also the early life stages of another highly valuable fisheries-targeted resource, the Cape hakes (Merluccius capensis and M. paradoxus), and as a result this monitoring programme is now referred to as SHARP. SHBML: The monitoring line was initiated as a BENEFIT-driven project on "shipboard monitoring" which linked with similar lines run in Namibia and Angola. The aims are to obtain seasonal and interannual information on the hydrology and productivity of the area. Data on harmful algal blooms, low oxygen water and intrusions of Agulhas Bank water along the west coast will also be collected. A long-term, multi-decadel time-series (from 1951 onward) of information already exists for this important region and should continue to detect long-term changes in the hydrology and the plankton, which are important for the detection of regime shifts.