A fisher’s life
Meet the men and women who bring the hake to your plate
Deck hands have one of the most difficult and dangerous jobs in the world. They work with heavy machinery and large nets in rough seas and strong winds. Teamwork is vital. Here, deck hand Duren Vraagom unzips the closed end of the trawl net, delivering the catch to Harvest Krotoa’s onboard fish factory where the hake is quickly cleaned, chilled and preserved on ice.
In the factory, work begins immediately. In order to retain the freshness and delicate flavour for which Cape hake is renowned, the catch must be processed and preserved on ice as rapidly as possible. Moyisi Gqweta regulates the flow of fish onto the processing lines.
Simphiwe Manyaka, Xolile Shinta and Zingisa Velile work the “piano”, rapidly arranging the fish for the cutting machine that will remove their heads. On the left, Mbuzoli Mathana removes bycatch species – mostly John Dory, maasbanker and jacopever – that will be preserved whole. These guys work fast and accurately. Not even the rolling of a heavy sea slows them down.
Anna Toontjies and Sipho Njoli transfer headed-and-gutted (H&G) hake into a rinsing pond. Once they are rinsed, the hake are conveyed to a holding tank where they are cooled with slurry ice before being packed into the fish hold.
Anna Toontjies is one of four women who work on board Harvest Krotoa. Read their story here.
Deck hands have one of the most difficult and dangerous jobs in the world. They work with heavy machinery and large nets in rough seas and strong winds. Teamwork is vital. Here, deck hand Duren Vraagom unzips the closed end of the trawl net, delivering the catch to Harvest Krotoa’s onboard fish factory where the hake is quickly cleaned, chilled and preserved on ice.
In the factory, work begins immediately. In order to retain the freshness and delicate flavour for which Cape hake is renowned, the catch must be processed and preserved on ice as rapidly as possible. Moyisi Gqweta regulates the flow of fish onto the processing lines.
Simphiwe Manyaka, Xolile Shinta and Zingisa Velile work the “piano”, rapidly arranging the fish for the cutting machine that will remove their heads. On the left, Mbuzoli Mathana removes bycatch species – mostly John Dory, maasbanker and jacopever – that will be preserved whole. These guys work fast and accurately. Not even the rolling of a heavy sea slows them down.
Anna Toontjies and Sipho Njoli transfer headed-and-gutted (H&G) hake into a rinsing pond. Once they are rinsed, the hake are conveyed to a holding tank where they are cooled with slurry ice before being packed into the fish hold.
Anna Toontjies is one of four women who work on board Harvest Krotoa. Read their story here.
“It’s a great privilege to be skipper of this vessel” – Skipper Ryno Blaauw
“I’ve gained a lot, working as the captain’s ‘right-hand man’” – Lumkile “Wiseman” Sodela, Bosun
“I started working as an engineering cadet, right after school” – Ronald Cottee, Chief Engineer
“The sea life is an adventure, not a living” – George Erasmus, Ship’s Cook
Fishing off the east coast, between Cape St Francis and Port Elizabeth, Harvest Krotoa shared the trawling lanes with several other deep-sea trawlers.
The deep-sea trawl fishery is unique in that it is controlled by both total allowable catch (TAC) and total allowable effort (TAE). The TAC is set annually and limits the quantity (tonnage) of hake that may be caught every year, and the fleet is regulated by TAE; each trawler is licensed to fish for a limited number of days per year. The TAE ensures that the deep-sea fishing fleet doesn’t grow too big for the available resources. Read more about the management of the deep-sea trawling industry.
The men and women who work on Harvest Krotoa and other trawlers in the deep-sea fishing fleet are aware that full nets of fish are dependent on sustainable fishing. Over 1 400 crew members have received responsible fisheries training, thanks to an initiative of the Responsible Fisheries Alliance.
The training provides fishing crews with the knowledge and skills they need to implement an ecosystem approach to fisheries.
Fishing takes place in all weathers, as the photo below – of Harvest Krotoa’s sister vessel, Harvest Mzansi, fishing in strong winds – shows.
The deep-sea trawling industry works closely with the South African Maritime Safety Authority (SAMSA) to ensure that the fishing fleet is seaworthy and that employees are properly trained and equipped to work safely at sea. Read more about safety at sea.
Flocks of seabirds are a fishing trawler’s constant companion.
Petrels, albatrosses and gannets soar effortlessly alongside the trawlers, scavenging offal when the on-board factories are in production. The South African Deep-Sea Trawling Industry Association has put in place several measures to mitigate seabird bycatch. Read more here.
Back in port, after a full five days of steaming and fishing, the team unloads the catch.
Now work begins in the onshore factory where Cape hake is filleted and transformed into a plethora of products for local and international seafood markets.
Finished products are enjoyed in over 22 countries around the world. Cape hake caught in the South African deep-sea trawl fishery is certified sustainable by the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) – the world’s leading certification and eco-labelling programme for wild-caught seafood. The trawl fishery for hake is the only fishery in Africa to be certified by the MSC.
Photos and video: Claire Attwood © SADSTIA
Special thanks to Sea Harvest and the skipper and crew of Harvest Krotoa.