Catch of the day: South African fishermen reel in thousands of tiny sardines
IT IS not every day that you pull in a haul of thousands of tiny Natal sardines - but that is exactly what happened to these fishermen.
The vast nets, containing up to 15 tons of fish, were heaved in by 30 locals
The vast nets, containing up to 15 tons of the slippery sea-dwellers, were heaved in by 30 locals in Umkomaas Beach, KwaZulu Natal, South Africa.
And this is not the first time natives have witnessed the fishing frenzy.
It is part of the great phenomenon known as the annual sardine run where millions of the little animals move north along the coast of South Africa.
The phenomenon, known as the annual sardine run, sees millions of fish move north along the coast
The process lasts as long as three months, giving fishermen weeks of plentiful catches
Unfortunately for the little blighters, they are then eaten by dolphins, sharks and gannets in a fishy free-for-all.
The process lasts as long as three months - giving South African fisherman weeks of bountiful catches which are then sold locally fresh on the day.
Stilt fishermen Koggala Sri Lanka
The vast nets, containing up to 15 tons of sardines, were heaved in by 30 locals
The fish are normally eaten by dolphins, sharks and gannets
Local photographer, Allen Walker, who captured these amazing photos, said: "We go out early every morning as the early bird catches the worm.
"Everyone tries to net before 2pm, as after this time it is hard to find buyers for the catch.
"As the catch is sold fresh on the day caught, the buyers cannot leave it to late to buy a catch as they just do not have enough time to sell it."