Only For History Buffs…

If you are interested in HISTORY then there are many fascinating articles on this website to read…

Some typical examples are:

Yellowtail Seriola lalandi or Geelstert as it is commonly referred to – has been in abundant supply lately. It’s not unusual for this time of year. There have been reports that some Western Cape trek netters caught about R1-million worth of fish in one day. This has led to questions about the sustainability of the resource. Living the Legacy. Trek Netting Yellowtail

The provision of ships’ fuel is a vital mega-billion-dollar industry that spans the globe. Significant clients of the bunker industry until the early 1960s were the whaling fleets who, during their annual movements to and from the Southern Ocean, took full stems of bunkers. So it is no surprise that South Africa’s Department of Transport and the South African Maritime Safety Authority want to expand services at the ports to include offshore bunkering and ship to shore transfers. There is interesting history about this industry… From the Archives. Bunkering Down to Chasing Business is Nothing New…

One of the great South African salvage operations was the refloating of the stranded Ellerman freighter City of Lincoln from a reef off Quoin Point in March 1947. Stout wooden fishing boats from the local fleet were used to land over 3000 tons of cargo. Although it was a thoroughly scientific operation that, sadly it had a tragic twist. This is A Piece of History. How Wooden Fishing Boats Helped a Post World War 2 Salvage Operation

Two hundred years ago people discovered Antarctica – and promptly began profiting by slaughtering some of its animals to near extinction. The whaling grounds were so rich they drew fleets from many nations. But by the 1960s this began to change when whales were revealed to be highly intelligent, sociable creatures that sang in the ocean depths. Read about The Discovery of Antarctica. Profiting by Slaughter

Vetch’s Pier has been in existence since the mid-19th century. One of the largest sub-tidal mussel beds in the entire KZN coastline, it is also the home of millions of other marine creatures which has made it an extremely popular snorkelling hot spot for novice divers, recreational and subsistence fishermen. Some years ago, one man, activist Johnny Vassilaros, took on the controversial former Durban City manager and his cronies at eThekwini Municipality whose grand vision was for a multimillion-rand waterfront development including a new iconic hotel at the mouth of the harbour. The problem was that very little consideration was given to the environment or to the impact this would have on the fishing community or residents of Durban. Read A Piece of History. The Battle to Save Durban Vetch’s Pier

The legendary purse seiner, Consortium Delta WB 264 was a 92-foot wooden vessel, built by the Fritz Nieswandt boatyard in Lüderitz, Namibia. She was launched in March 1972 and was the largest wooden fishing vessel ever constructed in Southern Africa.

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How trawlers are named. Whether it was Ruwekus, Ankoveld, Stormkop, Oceana Concorde, Silver Katonkel, Plettenberg, Steenbrasdam or any other, these names have all been part of a proud yet forgotten heritage in the South African fishing industry.

A former Cape Town-based boat builder, Maritime Industries (Pty) Ltd, built seven 83 foot glass-reinforced plastic (GRP) purse seiners in 1966 and 1967. They were nicknamed the “sewe wit olifante” by fishermen, not because of financial implications, but because of their sheer size and white resin pigmentation. They were once the largest GRP vessels to be constructed in the world. Find out more and read the story about Legendary Boat Builders. The Seven ‘Wit Olifante’

The former Cape Town based shipwright company Bayview Shipwrights was one of the smaller, lesser known wooden boat builders specialising in the repair and construction of wooden fishing vessels in the 1960s. Today several fishing vessels constructed by Bayview Shipwrights, are still afloat. Another Legendary Boat Builders. Bayview Shipwrights

What happened to the former factory of the African Inshore Fisheries Development Corporation (AIF)? This particular factory dates back to the golden era of Velddrif on the Cape west coast. Follow the story of Fish Factories of Yesteryear: AIF, Velddrif, Cape West Coast

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