Cool Catch!

Craving beautiful, fresh fish? A lekker yellowtail, line-caught in the early hours of the morning by a local, small-scale fisher in, say, Struisbaai? And grilled to perfection with farm butter, garlic, and fresh herbs …  

So, how do you get your hands on fully traceable, sustainable seafood? Babylonstoren has partnered with ABALOBI Fish With a Story to bring sustainable, ecologically responsible fish to online shoppers in Johannesburg, Pretoria and surrounds, as well as the greater Cape Town area.  

Fish with a story

ABALOBI – which means “fishers” in isiXhosa – is a local non-profit organisation, formed in 2018 through a collaboration between scientists and small-scale fishers. 

Thanks to its pioneering fishery improvement technologies and programmes, ABALOBI empowers small-scale fishing communities to be stewards of the ocean, positioning them for social, economic, and ecological sustainability.   

The result is fully traceable seafood, harvested by small-scale fishers using low-impact methods. Scan-able QR codes on every pack mean you can connect with the fishers behind your seafood and know exactly where your fish comes from.  

The organisation’s success is well documented thanks to technology-backed methods of tracing the origin of every catch. Since launching the programme, the number of direct fishing community beneficiaries has grown steadily. In 2023, there were over 6800 direct, small-scale fishers who benefitted from the ABALOBI programme, of which 40% are women. That’s impact. 

ABALOBI doesn’t only supply ecologically responsible seafood, they are also involved in various projects supporting local fishing communities to improve livelihoods. “We believe ethical seafood must be ecologically responsible and socially fair,” says Chris Karsten, ABALOBI director of growth.  

We’ll hook you up 

“Babylonstoren’s farm-to-fork food philosophy is really a celebration of seasonal, local produce and trusted suppliers. This collaboration with ABALOBI is the next step in our journey of responsible farming, offering our online shoppers access to ethically caught fish,” says Simoné Hulscher, senior product developer at Babylonstoren.  

This collaboration ticks all the right boxes, says Chris. “Through this collaboration, ABALOBI is working with Babylonstoren to redefine sustainable and responsible procurement and on-selling practices in the seafood sector. We enable the conscious consumer to partner with small-scale fishing communities on their journey to sustainability, to reimagine a more responsible seafood system.”  

 When you order ABALOBI Fish With A Story through Babylonstoren, you can scan the on-pack QR code to learn more about your catch and the fisher who caught it. Babylonstoren is the easiest way you can have ABALOBI fish delivered to your door in Gauteng.  

Feast on fresh

Babylonstoren’s end-to-end cold chain ensures that your premium ABALOBI catch is delivered perfectly chilled. The fish is freshly frozen and vacuum-sealed, then packed in our custom-built facility to maintain optimum temperatures. It leaves our facility through sealed loading bays into temperature-controlled delivery vehicles to arrive at your door perfectly frozen and ready for you to defrost and cook.  

We’ve created some lip-smacking recipes with ABALOBI’s best seasonal catches, including Cape bream, carpenter fish and yellowtail. Find inspiration here.