Sardines

Our South African sardines are purse seine caught in the pristine, cold waters of the Atlantic and Indian Oceans off the South African coast (catching zone FAO 47).

We are a major supplier and distributor of high-quality sardines for human consumption as well as sardine bait to long-liners and pole-liners worldwide.

Sardine (Sardinops Sagax)

Kwik-Cool-14-March-2024-3499-scaled-round

Size grading Fish count per 5kg nett
XXL 40-45
XL 45-50
L 50-55
LM 50-60
M 55-65
MS 60-70
S 70-80
SS 80-90
SSS 90+

Only fresh, firm and first grade sardines with no broken bellies are selected for human consumption. Our sardines for bait are packed finger laid, quality guaranteed to stay on the hook, and have the best big catch potential.

The sardines are delivered daily, fresh on ice, by our fleet of 3 vessels, 1 owned and 2 independent catching vessels, direct to our own processing factory, Kwikcool, situated in Gqeberha/Port Elizabeth. Our processing factory has the capacity to grade, pack, and freeze up to 40 metric tons per day.

Seasonal Availability

The sardine is caught all year, with summer and spring traditionally stronger catching period. The Department of Environment, Forestry and Fisheries (DEFF) manages the resource carefully, sending research vessels out at least twice a year to review the biomass. They make scientific decisions regarding the Total Allowable Catch (TAC).