‘Fisher of men’ hooks big catch

By Nefertiti Matatia 21 June 2018, 12:00AM

Fishing comes naturally for Lt. Colonel Rod Carey.

The Regional Officer and Pastor of the Salvation Army Samoa caught a 30.4kg yellowfin tuna.

Being in the ocean for him defines his purpose in life, a fisherman and a fisher of men.   

“It is a calling in my life to serve God and to serve other people and Jesus called us to be fishers of men, but it’s okay to be fishers of fish and in this case yellowfin tuna,” he laughed.

For him it was an amazing experience and to be one of the people who caught a yellowfin tuna that weights 30.4kg is rare, and according to him, in previous years, there have been catches between 10, 20, 40 and 80 kgs, but very few.

“There is a big difference in terms of the ocean in Samoa and New Zealand, the secret is the ocean in Samoa is warm compared to the cold waters in New Zealand.

“I haven’t been fishing long in Samoa but in New Zealand quite long, but not as big as the yellow fins that we catch here in Samoa.

“It has been an amazing experience, being in the ocean is awesome, really wonderful,” he told the Samoa Observer.

They are on a mission for a great cause and having a day to go out fishing is enlightening.

“The people are so friendly and warm, which goes with the climate. I love the food and we really love the strong Christian faith here, in terms of starting the Salvation Army church and social services, it’s just a joy to be able to be here and serve people for those who have needs and problems.

“We have got lots of local people joining us and supporting us with church and helping us with social services.

“We are just very grateful for the wonderful support from the Samoan people and we look forward to many years here serving the people and growing a great church, which will make a difference in the community for many years to come and definitely catching more tuna.”

Long serving member of the Samoa International Game Fishing Association (S.I.G.F.A), Gregory Hopping said the S.I.G.F.A is open to anyone who is willing to join.

“When we take people fishing, whether they are a club member or not, and if they catch a nice fish, we’ll bring it back here and weigh it on the S.I.G.F.A. scale and then they get a certificate saying they caught a yellowfin at 30kilos or 40kilos and they can hang it on their wall and show it off to all their friends.”

By Nefertiti Matatia 21 June 2018, 12:00AM
Samoa Observer

Upgrade to Premium

Subscribe to
Samoa Observer Online

Enjoy unlimited access to all our articles on any device + free trial to e-Edition. You can cancel anytime.

>