L&S Lif
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THE GREATEST SHOAL ON EARTH Steve Honeysett
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the lockdown, I started to get news of the gathering of Sardines down in the East Cape. I wondered if we would see a better migration this year with the last four or five being small in comparison to previous years.
THE NEWS was good with reports of large pockets moving Eastwards in the direction of the KZN Coast, and experts were predicting the best migration in six years. With this migration, marine animals of all sizes also journey south with the shoals and the ocean becomes alive with activity. Fishermen from far and wide would then head for the shores to meet the shoals and seize the opportunity to catch some fantastic fish. Many holiday adventures have been planned around this annual event. So many people have been attracted to the coast to live out their scenic, coastal dream - making it their home. When I was a youngster, my father would often lead us into the car on the weekend during this time to chase the sardines down south in the hope of finding them beaching somewhere. Being a keen ski boat fisherman, my father would gather up all the cooler boxes we could find and, if we were lucky, we would fill them up with fresh sardines which my father would freeze when we got home. He would have bait for the rest of the year. We would often spend the entire day driving up and down looking for these fish. As kids, we really got stuck into the task of collecting and packing sardines. And, with all of that fun, came the smell of being a fisherman. I remember looking forward to stopping at the famous Waffle Hut at Ramsgate for a treat, and I know now why we
