The S.A. Fisheries Museum is in Velddrif on the West Coast.  This Museum, which was located in Hout Bay – Cape Town for many years, was moved to a restored historical building in Laaiplek Harbour.  It opened in December 2009.

the Museum’s entance

We went for a quick visit and was amazed to see the large collection of historical objects and documents on display.

a “welcome” at the door

A Model Boat Builder, called Jaco Louw, exibits in the museum. Quite a few Scale Model Trawlers can be admired.

this model was build in 2005

Unbelievable amount of detail….

a Model of George Driver Irvin – CTA 138

a Scale Model of Tuna Clipper Verkenner 1

While wondering around in the Museum, one can enjoy some underwater sea displays and read more about the individual sea creatures.

 Cape Gannets are powerful birds that dive from considerable heights into the sea to catch their food. When seen in flight the snow-white body with a black tail and dark bill makes them easy to identify.

Cape Gannet (Malgas)

Penguins are fast-swimming and deep-diving birds. Their nesting season is from February to August. They nest in simple burrows in the sand or under plants and the birds molt in November and December.

South African Penguins

We were surprised by the size of the Blue Marlin and the look of the Porcupine Fish…

the “Blue Marlin”

 

a “Porcupine Fish”

Other Interesting items to view were…

Pistols used in Sea Rescue Operations

a Variety of Hurricane Lamps & different sizes of the glass Buoy…

If you are interested in the sea and it’s treasures, a visit to the S.A. Fisheries Museum in Velddrif, will be worth your while….

the “Can Seamer”

With this Machinery an open can gets sealed by attaching the lid.  Can you imagine how much longer it took back then in comparison to today?!

Laaiplek Harbour-slipway

After experiencing a bit of the history on S.A. Fishing we are back in reality as we step outside…..

The Museum is open from Tuesday to Friday from 10:00 to 16:00 and on a Saturday from 10:00 to 13:00.

Go and Enjoy!