Fighting for reef fishes

False Bay’s fishermen

Crew members of the Blue Starfish prepare for their day’s fishing as the sun rises over False Bay.

Fisherman Garth Matthews ties his line. Hand-line fishermen use leather sheaths to protect their fingers when the fish start to pull.

‘For me, this is not a job. For me it’s a hobby. I love it. It’s not for the money that I make, it’s for the adrenalin when the fish start to bite.’ – Jacob Saunders.

As the sun creeps up over the eastern edge of False Bay, we reach the mouth and anchor in the shadow of a series of arrow-shaped peaks. About 16 other vessels surround us. Jacob Saunders is the most experienced fisherman on the boat. He throws in his line and almost immediately pulls in a large, shiny fish with long, razor-sharp teeth – a snoek Thyrsites atun. He grips the powerful fish under his arm and snaps its neck.

Macabrely captivating as it might be, photographer, Joris van Alphen and I are not here to learn about the fast-growing and migratory snoek. We are after one of the bay’s permanent and grander residents.

Go back

Getting to the fishing grounds

Keep reading

The Fish of False Bay

ABOUT THE SAVE OUR SEAS FOUNDATION

In the effort to protect our oceans, the Save Our Seas Foundation funds and supports research, education and conservation projects worldwide focusing primarily on charismatic threatened wildlife and their habitats. From a small, non-profit organisation funding just five projects, in less than 10 years, the SOSF has grown to become a major player in the fight to save the world’s oceans and the wealth of marine life they contain. While SOSF itself is not a research institute, its generous contributions of financial, practical and scientific support have, to date, facilitated more than 160 marine research and conservation projects around the world.

FALSE BAY

Fighting for reef fishes

People safe, shark safe

Save Our Seas

False Bay

False Bay’s fishermen

Getting to the fishing grounds

The Fish of False Bay

ABOUT THE SAVE OUR SEAS FOUNDATION