December 2018 Richardsbay

[CAPTAIN MORGAN]

This was the worst fishing that we had in the past 13 years of fishing in Richardsbay, not a single marlin or wahoo, we also saw no bonnies, we did however managed a few dorries and yft, but they were also very scares compared to previous years. The locals were also complainig about how bad the fishing was. The reason seems to be trawlers, apparently four hundred of them operating in Moz, we actually saw one on the kastele(50m depth) at Rbay upon returning from kitchen after a fruitless marlin fishing day. Some pics.

[John F]

This was the worst fishing that we had in the past 13 years of fishing in Richardsbay, not a single marlin or wahoo, we also saw no bonnies, we did however managed a few dorries and yft, but they were also very scares compared to previous years. The locals were also complainig about how bad the fishing was. The reason seems to be trawlers, apparently four hundred of them operating in Moz, we actually saw one on the kastele(50m depth) at Rbay upon returning from kitchen after a fruitless marlin fishing day. Some pics.

... probably in addition to all South African ski-boaters, filling their cooler boxes with dozens of couta per session....


EDIT: meant to say "... in addition to some SA skiboaters we see ALL the time". Brain (half) and hand coordination not working properly. Apologies if anyone got offended.

[Visenvryheid]

So a thousand skiboats taking lets say for hypothetical sake, 2 dozen couta in a year at average mass of 15kg which is optimistic..Makes 360 Ton per annum..

https://www.seafoodsource.com/news/supply-trade/yu-yi-celebrates-its-first-foray-into-mozambique

6 Vessels returned from their first trip with 359 ton seafood. Hmmm. So I reckon all the skiboats chasing couta in SA only catch as much as 6 trawlers on one trip by a conservative estimate. That particular chinese company will have 18 vessels plying the waters by now they say..

https://clbrief.com/mozambiques-fishing-conundrum/

The investment company envolved in the fishing deal is owned by the founder of blackwater, the private security company that featured so heavily in iraq and africa doing america's dirty work..very murky..And investment for fish processing on shore due to the hundreds of new trawlers is being built to handle 70000 Tons! Not the 360 that Ski boats may take. Oh ja and madagascar has signed a deal with china for fishing rights too.. Oy vey. Hier kom k@k.

[Visenvryheid]

Read Sea Angling fishes of the Cape.. The summer spot to be @ for couta from the side used to be the PE breakwater back in the day, mossel bay also used to feature.. Now you guys are struggling to catch them in richards bay! I think that is the basin effect, in effect..we are watching the bell curve of a species collapse. Hopefully not, but it sure looks like it. Took 3-4 decades to drop to where the stock is now, and now the curve be on a vertical declines as chinese trawlers come online. If the chinese netting was sustainable the govnernment would not have to subsidise the entire industry to go search the far flung corners of the globe for fish, the state in china lends the money for building the vessels and pays the fuel bill, that is how they can afford to go fish off mozambique and west africa. If their fishing method was sustainable they would be netting their home waters (empty already) instead of sailing halfway across the world..  African leaders are of the worlds most stupid when it comes to foresight and being manipulated to their own detriment.

[Visenvryheid]

They have netted out entire stocks off india and in the open ocean entire deepsea chokka stocks are gone..factory fishing has no place in 2018..but here we are having the ocean emptied next door. And where is the navy and DAFF when they are poaching off richards bay? They are trying to get into zanzibars waters too.. The piracy in somalia only started because the fish stocks were decimated by illegal chinese fishing and it was a response to that by the locals. I think we underestimate the ability of those chinese vessels to suck the ocean dry of life.

[Shaun17]

This was the worst fishing that we had in the past 13 years of fishing in Richardsbay, not a single marlin or wahoo, we also saw no bonnies, we did however managed a few dorries and yft, but they were also very scares compared to previous years. The locals were also complainig about how bad the fishing was. The reason seems to be trawlers, apparently four hundred of them operating in Moz, we actually saw one on the kastele(50m depth) at Rbay upon returning from kitchen after a fruitless marlin fishing day. Some pics.

... probably in addition to all South African ski-boaters, filling their cooler boxes with dozens of couta per session....

ALL South African ski boaters?? Come on Marcos, a few pics of a few idiots and now we're being painted with the same brush and compared against Chinese trawlers. Hardly an argument...

[HooknCook]

Bad Luck there Captain Morgan on the bad fishing!! Do you think that the very unseasonal and bad weather could also be playing a big role?

Marcos, I hear you frustration and as you know I totally disagree with what was being done at Macaneta and I see BD aswell, BUT I dont think everyone behaves like that. Unfortunately as you know, a couple rotten Apples between US, both in SA and Moz, I am often quite shocked when I see what the Maputo Charter Boats load onto their boats and what the "commercial" spearfisherman get upto as well. These Guys should be the ones preserving their livelihood and jobs, but they dont seem to care! Enriching themseleves and being cool when you "hang" 5 GTs on a Gantry is far more important!

Personally I think it all boils down to a handful a critical things, in Moz and SA, like Poor Enforcing of rules, Outdated Fisheries information relating to revised quotes for recreational and commercial fisherman. Sadly 4 guys standing with 40 Couta is Legal, however is it sustainable? Its the same as the trawlers, this has a huge impact on all fisheries and sA will feel the effect of this "Armada" of Chinese trawlers wanting to Operate off Mozambique, Madagascar and Tanzania. Its really worrying times!!

[supercab]

Hi guys
Yes the chines are killing our seas we must stand together puch them out.
PS its not the skiboaters or jetski fishermen

[John F]

You are right Shaun and Charles... thanks for bringing it up... the post doesn't really make sense as it is! My APOLLOGIES must have been a slip in the hand while typing.... a HANDFULL of holiday makers and dodgy operators as well as locals, are really doing plenty of damage in Moz.... Obviously it will not compare to the industrial, illegals, but we must remember it is a cumulative effect.

taking 47 counts in 3 h can hardly be considered sustainable. especially under a recreational license.

[Visenvryheid]

https://www.ft.com/content/e7bd4094-ff34-11e6-96f8-3700c5664d30

Good reading on the chinese fishing industry..

[HooknCook]

Marcos, fully agree with you! What is happening in SA and Moz is really a shame at times. Just today I witnessed a chap offloading Dorado in a Car Park selling it to someone. The reason this happens is it is poor enforcement of rules and regs. I am totally against trawlers and what they do, BUT shore and Skiboat anglers also do tremendous harm and this cannot be ignored!

[Visenvryheid]

But also we need to manage fisheries based on facts and science and not emotion and politics. And we need policing!

But the fact is that the most sustainable fish to catch in the ocean is a dorado and although illegal if all commercial fishing was done with rod and line and skiboat on species that grow as fast and whos stocks are as resiliant as dorado, we would not be having this conversation.. Dorado live 4-5 years old max as far as I know and by that time they are 40kg or so already as far as I know. Catching fish on line or spear allows one to be selective, on spear you can be the most selective but that goes over the heads of most spearos I've met including the local guys by me that specialise in poaching reef fish for market like poensies, miss lucies and red steenbras etc.. Ja our recreational boaters can be as bad as the chinese in spirit, thank god our weekend warriors are not kitted out with industrial fishing fleets and large trawl nets. That said I believe small boaters should be able to get limited catch commercial line fishing licences for things like squid, mackerel, bonito and dorries and for fish that can sustain fishing pressure to supply local markets. I think that will give some feeling of ownership to the commons which is currently a free for all and create a sense of responsibility among those who want to make a living from the sea, and keep more eyes on the water to look out for chinese trawlers..

[Shaun17]

You are right Shaun and Charles... thanks for bringing it up... the post doesn't really make sense as it is! My APOLLOGIES must have been a slip in the hand while typing.... a HANDFULL of holiday makers and dodgy operators as well as locals, are really doing plenty of damage in Moz.... Obviously it will not compare to the industrial, illegals, but we must remember it is a cumulative effect.

taking 47 counts in 3 h can hardly be considered sustainable. especially under a recreational license.

All good Marcos... without hijacking this thread any further (sorry Captain Morgan), things are not looking good for recreational anglers in the future

[Visenvryheid]

Ja no sorry that was a proper hijack..But ja things not looking good. Apparently with their last meeting with Ramaphosa regarding Eskoms bailout, their access to our fisheries was also discussed too but this heresay and rumour not verified fact..yet.

[shu vawda]

Well done captain Morgan.atleast you got some fish.This was also the worst season in a couple of years for us in durban.But we also found that we did not get the warm water as it usually gets up to.Currents have also been all over the place.i think this may also contribute to the poor fishing.


The water seems to be warming up and currents settling down and the guys are starting to get some fish now.Unfortunately i am back to work

[CAPTAIN MORGAN]

Well done captain Morgan.atleast you got some fish.This was also the worst season in a couple of years for us in durban.But we also found that we did not get the warm water as it usually gets up to.Currents have also been all over the place.i think this may also contribute to the poor fishing.


The water seems to be warming up and currents settling down and the guys are starting to get some fish now.Unfortunately i am back to work

We had a strong current which is normally good and out deep we got the water temprature at 27 degrees which is also good, my view is that the fish that is suppose to migrate south is not making it past these trawlers. There were much less recreation skiboats this year...I guess as a result of the economy, I anyway think most SA recreation skiboaters stick to the ethics of sensable fishing and most clubs operate according to these ethics. Fishing was just bad, but hopefully it will normalize. I am also back in the rat race

[shu vawda]

Well done captain Morgan.atleast you got some fish.This was also the worst season in a couple of years for us in durban.But we also found that we did not get the warm water as it usually gets up to.Currents have also been all over the place.i think this may also contribute to the poor fishing.


The water seems to be warming up and currents settling down and the guys are starting to get some fish now.Unfortunately i am back to work

We had a strong current which is normally good and out deep we got the water temprature at 27 degrees which is also good, my view is that the fish that is suppose to migrate south is not making it past these trawlers. There were much less recreation skiboats this year...I guess as a result of the economy, I anyway think most SA recreation skiboaters stick to the ethics of sensable fishing and most clubs operate according to these ethics. Fishing was just bad, but hopefully it will normalize. I am also back in the rat race

I suppose when fishing for marlin then the strong currents are welcome.But do you think the trawlers are taking marlin as bycatch?or targeting them?Agreed most anglers are ethical in sa.

[CAPTAIN MORGAN]

Well done captain Morgan.atleast you got some fish.This was also the worst season in a couple of years for us in durban.But we also found that we did not get the warm water as it usually gets up to.Currents have also been all over the place.i think this may also contribute to the poor fishing.


The water seems to be warming up and currents settling down and the guys are starting to get some fish now.Unfortunately i am back to work

We had a strong current which is normally good and out deep we got the water temprature at 27 degrees which is also good, my view is that the fish that is suppose to migrate south is not making it past these trawlers. There were much less recreation skiboats this year...I guess as a result of the economy, I anyway think most SA recreation skiboaters stick to the ethics of sensable fishing and most clubs operate according to these ethics. Fishing was just bad, but hopefully it will normalize. I am also back in the rat race

I suppose when fishing for marlin then the strong currents are welcome.But do you think the trawlers are taking marlin as bycatch?or targeting them?Agreed most anglers are ethical in sa.

They take EVERYTHING in their nets.

[Capt. Hook]

Whilst I firmly believe that trawlers from many countries, not just China are depleting fish stocks, I am also very positive that pollution is also a huge contributing factor. Anyone who wants to try and deny that ski boat and shore fishermen are not doing their contribution to depleting fish stocks is deluding himself, sure many anglers have good ethics but it only takes a few to inflict severe damage and it is happening all around.
The weather patterns and water conditions this December were also very difficult and this has played a major factor in the bad fishing too.