Sardines’ silver tide strikes Amanzimtoti
In what some are calling the biggest one-day sardine netting haul in recent history on the Upper South Coast, at least 15 drag nets were brought to shore in the greater Amanzimtoti area on Saturday, 30 June.
Sardine fever took bite in a big way, as netters capitalised on the silver tide.
Five nets were hauled to shore at Amanzimtoti; six at Winklespruit; two at Illovo and three at Warner Beach.
At 7.45am, the first nets were brought to shore at Amanzimtoti’s Nyoni Rocks.
The skipper of Full Up 3, Goolam Essack hauled some 150 to 200 nets in that catch. The going rate at that stage was around R400 a crate.
By mid-afternoon, netters would have been lucky to fetch R200 a crate.
Throngs of spectators at Toti main beach took to the waves in their numbers, grabbing sardines from the waves with their bare hands. Others used nets like magic wands, plucking dozens at a time.
For most of the morning, the skippers and their crews could crate and sell their catch largely unhindered, thanks to the freely available silvery shoals that washed in on the ebbing tide.
Several skippers also used hooped nets on the shore to ensure the public’s pesky hands were kept at bay.
The only losers today were those shore anglers who thought they stood a chance against the frenzy that unfolded and accompanied the tsunami-style tide of sardines that tired out the crowds all day.
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