Italian net fishing

This video was the idea of Damiano (Peter) Turci to honour the Italian net fishers of Port Pirie. The pioneer Italian fishermen evolved a distinctive style of fishing boat to suit the shallow coastline of upper Spencer Gulf. The shallow draft boats sat upright at low tides enabling a reasonably comfortable lifestyle as fishermen sometimes spent days, if not weeks, at sea to provide for their families. Their diet on a typical fishing trip mainly consisted of a fish soup ‘chambott’ (fish, onion, garlic and tomato with olive oil and water), supplemented with dry stale bread to soak-up the broth. The meal was cooked over a small drum, called a ‘fire-pot’, using charcoal or dried mangroves as fuel.
So come with us, on the last of these fishing vessels leaving her home port to net fish ‘like d' old people’, one last time.

N.B. A special permit was obtained from S.A. Fisheries Dept. to cast these nets expressly for the purpose of making this video.

Thanks to Peter Turci for taking his old fishing boat out one last time. Another similar, restored fishing boat is now on display in Port Pirie, and this video is running on the telly at this display.

Видео Italian net fishing канала Trevor Pallant