The tradition of sardine netting: A Durban angler's legacy

IOL News

2 days ago

Leonard 'Lenny' Pillay's love of the ocean and seine netting is legendary, whenever sardine season hits Durban his excitement levels goes into overdrive.
Image: Khaya Ngwenya/Independent Media
WITH multiple sardines shoals beaching along KwaZulu-Natal's South Coast this past week, skilled seine netter Leonard "Lenny", Pillay, 70, is hardly like a fish out of water, its an eagerly anticipated time of year for him.
For over 50 years, Pillay has been casting nets along the shores in and around Durban, bagging the popular annual fish phenomenon, as part of the region's fishing culture.
The first batch of sardines landed on the lower South Coast at Port Edward on Saturday and more shoals were reported, up the coastline, heading towards Durban, in places like Port Shepstone, Pennington, Warner Beach, Winkelspruit and Amanzimtoti by mid-week.
Once and again Pillay and his crew, which usually about 12, including divers, are ready for anticipated sardines splash at beaches closer to Durban
Its all about the ocean for Leonard 'Lenny' Pillay and his family, for many years.
Image: Khaya Ngwenya/Independent Media
Netting sardines has been a family tradition for Pillay and his ancestors, dating back 120 years.
For many of those years, Pillay's family were based in Fynnlands, near the Bluff and were counted among Durban's pioneering seine netting families.
On the days when Pillay and team are out sardine hunting, they employ a coordinated system to land their catches, which has been honed over decades.
His crew usually spots schools of fish from a vehicle stationed onshore, and maintain radio contact to ensure synchronisation. Once they pinpoint a good location, they venture out in a motorised boat, a significant advancement from the rowboats he and his family used in his early days.
'We intercept the shoals about 200 to 300 metres from the shoreline, often just over the breakers,' Pillay explained.
'Once we get into position, the first diver jumps in to start the netting process. The skipper circles the shoal, spreading the net, while the second diver directs the fish into a specially designed bag.'
The nets used by Pillay's crew are 120 metres long, with lead weights to ensure they stay submerged, while corks on the top-end of the net provide buoyancy. The bags attached to the net, are about 15 to 20 metres in length and 10 to 15 metres deep, can hold a substantial catch, often resulting in up to 300 crates of sardines, which weighs between seven to eight tons.
Another shoal landed for Leonard 'Lenny' Pillay and crew at a Durban beach.
Image: Supplied
Sardines are big business for those skilled in the craft, with crates fetching up to R700 each at the start of the season. However, the excitement of the haul is palpable from the moment the fish hit the shoreline, something that continues to get Pillay's adrenalin going.
He recalled over the years how spectators would gather to witness the spectacle. For many, catching sardines was a community event, with local women using dresses and saris as makeshift nets.
Pillay said that the tradition has dwindled, especially in recent years, with fewer people enjoying sardines due to rising scepticism surrounding their consumption.
Leonard 'Lenny' Pillay has been bagging sardine shoals on Durban shores for more than 50 years and he has no plans to slow down.
Image: Supplied