Harbour Cafe

A visit to a fledgling Kob Farm just outside East London really opened my eyes to what can be done in this sector to produce top quality fish with minimal impact on the environment.  Imagine a Fish Farm that uses it waste (sludge from water purification & algae from water cleansing) to produce bio fuel to power the farm & feed for freshwater species which in turn are used in the production of organic pellets to feed the Kob!  How about the fact that no water is returned loaded with pollutants to the sea - instead it is purified, oxygenated, topped up with rain water (to make up for loss due to evapouration - remember the salts stay behind) and used agian in a near closed system.  Add to this the funds generated fund an organic farming system that produces it’s own bio gas for cooking and settling ponds for nutrient rich compost for the fresh produce to grow in!  The alien Black Wattle is used in a wood burning furnace to heat the water for the Kob Farm and the staff who live on site!  This and many more innovative ideas are beginning to take shape on this unique patch of defiance to the notion that fish farming is detrimental to the environment.  It might not be perfect but it is one of the best I have seen yet and proves that there is a surge towards responsible production of fresh food!  

The Local Commercial Linefisherman is a fast vanishing species. His battle to keep his operation afloat is never-ending and he requires the support of the region in which he operates. To often we simply buy fish without considering where it comes from or how it was caught. To support local industry is important but also to know who is catching your fish and with what impact is an important ecological consideration. Why not seek out the local offering before picking up a box of imported seafood? Find out what is specific to the area you are in and get to know the way in which it is harvested - support those who support sound ecological practices. The local Fish & Chip shop is great because it is local - make sure his produce is as well.

Just a little something I need to get off my chest.

A question I get asked often at Robberg Seafood Safari Knysna is “Who is enforcing the Commercial Fishing laws / regulations / license conditions?”. The answer is very difficult to answer because Marine and Coastal Management and the Department Environmental Affairs and Tourism, who play a large role in regulating the industry, are just not doing enough. Thus my question is “Where is the Navy?”. Surely our greatest threat from the Sea currently is the Over Exploitation of the Marine Resource.

The best equipped and most suitably trained body, in my view, to actually monitor and physically enforce laws at sea are the Navy. I think that a far larger role should be played by the Navy in protecting our Marine Resource and that this should be singled out as one of their priorities. 

I recently spoke to various Navy personal during the Knysna Oyster Festival about this matter and generally the feeling was that involvement in enforcing Commercial Fishing Laws should be increased.

Any Comments? I would love to hear the general feeling on this matter.  

Somewhere up the west coast there is a beach restaurant set in the sand dunes which offers one of the few genuine fish braais I know of. However the only time I ever managed to find it was during the winter months when it is closed and to be quite honest I have no idea if it is still going.  And thats something that has always confused me. Why with our extensive coastline, have we not developed a finer appreciation for seafood and the reputation for offering a fishy cuisine?

We have just returned from a weekend in Cape Town and and as I drove into and through the V&A Waterfront I couldn’t help reflecting back to the days of the humble Harbour Cafe and asking myself whether it hasn’t lost something during the transition. Definitely different. But a stop for a fish and chip take away supper from the cafe in the Kalk Bay Harbour did a lot to restore the sense that all is not yet lost and that its still worth looking around.

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