Greenfish Blog

Over the past 20 years, Uncle Wally Kroom, a retired fisherman from Yzerfontein, South Africa, served as a dedicated advocate for line fishermen. He engaged with government departments to represent hand line fisherman interests and ensure their fair treatment. South African line fishing is divided into three zones, and Uncle Wally represents the entire sector. Tragically, in 2022, Uncle Wally passed away, leaving a void in representation for line fishermen. In response, a group of senior line fishermen gathered to select a new chairman to fill this role. The decision was unanimous, and the role was assigned to the narrator...

Ocean nomads of Cape Town. It's a Friday afternoon I'm chasing home after a day at the factory to throw a few clothes in a bag and chase off to Struisbaai to take advantage of the four good weather days coming up to get in on the fishing action.  A quick kiss goodbye to my daughter and my wife chirps as I walk out the door “are you off to see your Struisbaai family again”  The life of a hand line fisherman in Cape Town makes one feel like a Nomad, seasonal cycles sends us up the West Coast for...

Organic Wild Caught Fish vs. Processed Foods In todays fast paced world its easy to succumb to convenience of processed foods.  They are fast, relatively cheap, and easy.  But what is one putting into their body when they eat these highly processed foods? Wild caught fish from the ocean is as natural and organic now as it was hundreds of years ago.  There are many benefits of eating organic and opting for this natural and wholesome food source, from superior nutrition to the low impact it has on our environment. With so many people distanced from where their food comes...

Silverfish (Carpenter Fish) – A Strange Catch Silverfish also called carpenter is an under rated table fish that is fast gaining popularity on the South African dinning room table – and it should as it ticks all the boxes if caught in the right manner. Living on deeper rocks anything from 50-80m, they have become a staple in the Western Cape hand line fishery around Struisbaai and Gaansbaai. Carpenter (silverfish) have a legal size limit of 35cm on traditional handline boats.  The benefit of hand line fishing is that if a fish is caught that is too small it can...

Yellowtail Run off Cape Point for the record books, could it be linked to El Nino? April started off as a good month for yellowtail catches down in Struisbaai with good daily catches.  What we though to be a little late for the traditional Struisbaai season we were happy to take the catches that Neptune released to us.  But what was to happen next is unprecedented in recent times and I have not seen since I was a young boy.  An explosion of yellowtail from Gaansbaai, over the hub of the mass at Cape Point and wrapping all the way...