Old men of the sea hand down centuries-old fishing skills

"'Who taught you to fish?' “Oom Ed,” replied one of the members of the Tsitsikamma Junior Angling Forum, as she flicked her rod, casting her line into the Nature’s Valley Lagoon, just outside the Tsitsikamma marine protected area (MPA).

- By Julia Evans

For centuries, the shoreline of Tsitsikamma was a place where children learnt to fish from their parents or grandparents. It’s a practice rooted in the indigenous Khoi and San communities of Tsitsikamma, who relied on the land and sea for their sustenance.

But that tradition was interrupted when the Tsitsikamma MPA was declared a no-take zone in 2000, cutting communities off from historical fishing grounds that had sustained families for generations.

It was only after years of lobbying by the Tsitsikamma Angling Forum that, in 2016, three coastal zones — about 20% of the MPA - were reopened for registered community anglers, under strict conditions.

Opening part of the MPA has been somewhat controversial, as it could potentially undermine the purpose of an MPA. However, as SANParks ecologist Kyle Smith said, scientific models don’t always consider the “messiness of human negotiations”.

Edward Bernado (72), known as Oom Ed to the young anglers he teaches, grew up in Storms River, Tsitsikamma, learning to fish at the age of 12. His fondest memories are of fishing from the outcrops, beaches and river mouths with his father, who taught him everything he knows about the sea.