Save a Fishie marked its eighth birthday with a beach clean-up at Lagoon Beach in Milnerton where about 50 volunteers collected 211kg of litter while hundreds of dead fish lay washed up along the shoreline.

The milestone clean-up on Saturday 15 August was a bittersweet occasion for the environmental organisation, which has spent the past eight years working to protect marine life and keep Cape Town’s beaches clean.

Birthday celebration turns bittersweet

Founder Zoe Prinsloo said arriving at Lagoon Beach and seeing hundreds of dead fish along the shore was heartbreaking, but she chose to focus on the organisation’s anniversary and the volunteers who came out to support the clean-up.

ALSO READ: Sardine die-off not linked to Milnerton Lagoon, claims City

“It was an emotional start to our eighth birthday clean-up today, and for two very different reasons,” said Prinsloo.

She said the team was proud to reflect on how far Save a Fishie had come, while the discovery of the dead fish was a stark reminder of the vulnerability of marine life.

Volunteers collect 211kg of litter

Around 50 volunteers spread out in both directions along the beach, collecting litter from the shoreline. Among the waste found were large numbers of lollipop sticks, earbud sticks and bottle tops, as well as shoes, pieces of wood, a tyre, at least 15 nappies and about five needles.

In total, the volunteers removed 211kg of litter from the beach.

Prinsloo said the clean-up continued despite the difficult sight of the dead fish scattered among the rubbish.

Eight years of protecting the ocean

The birthday celebration also included a giant card where volunteers could leave messages for Save a Fishie. Prinsloo said the card would be kept at the organisation’s office as a reminder of the people who have supported its journey.

Volunteers received Save a Fishie birthday caps, flavoured water, cupcakes and metal straws as a thank-you for their efforts.

Prinsloo expressed her gratitude to everyone who had supported the organisation over the past eight years, whether through clean-ups, campaigns, donations, sharing information or helping behind the scenes. “You are part of this story,” she said.

A special thank you

Prinsloo also paid tribute to her mother for supporting her since the organisation’s beginning. “Save a Fishie may have started as my little Fishie organisation, but you have been such a huge part of its journey and I honestly couldn’t have done these eight years without you,” she said.

She also thanked Plastics SA for supporting the organisation for eight years by providing refuse bags for its clean-ups.

Prinsloo said the organisation would continue working to protect marine life and the ocean. “Here’s to eight years of fighting for our Fishies, protecting our oceans and proving that small actions can create big waves,” she said.

ALSO READ: Save a Fishie expands national Coast 2 Coast campaign