ULTIMATE ANGLING - the Ultimate SA Fishing website
General Angling Topics => Conservation and Ethics => Topic started by: Tommo on October 24, 2010, 05:32:35 PM
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I went for a walk on the beach this afternoon in front of my place with my wife and the dogs, and was thinking about how bad the fishing has got down on the KZN coast. In days gone by I wouldn't have dreamt of walking on the beach with a rod in my hand to have a few throws. Now I know it is totally futile, as the chances of catching anything are almost zero.
Growing up on the South coast we would go wet a line in the afternoons and catch stumpnose, pompano, kob, spadefish, grunter, Bronze bream, shad etc. Very seldom did we not catch some decent edibles. Nowadays those species are seldom seen coming in on the beaches, the guys have given up on fishing for them and mostly fish for sharks and flatfish on this part of the coast. Apart from migratory species such as shad, garrick and the odd kingie etc that come during the annual sardine run, KZN has become a desert in terms of edible fish.
I was thinking abou the reasons for our fishing having deteriorated this fast and this badly and I think there are three major factors that have caused this.
1. Our rivers along the South coast have all been terribly silted up. Not more than 20 to 30 years ago many of these rivers still ran deep and there was a lot of fish movement in and out of them. Especially some of the bigger rivers such as the Umkomaas and Umzimkulu. These were important nursery areas for a number of edible fish species and without them it must have a knock on effect on the ecology of the area. There are now virtually no viable fish nursery estuaries along the KZN coast. The blame for this lies in the farmers upstream on all the coastal rivers, who have ploughed right to the river banks and done the same on all the little tributaries and feeder streams. The run off from the farms during the rains has choked the rivers to the point that they can never recover. The Sugar farmers are the main culprits.
2. The shark nets and drum lines. I truly believe that what the Natal Sharks Board has done to our marine ecology in the past 30 years or so has had a massive effect. They have basically all but wiped out the larger sharks along the KZN coastline, using a system of large gill nets at every swimming beach. Yes that is what shark nets are, they are not barriers to keep sharks out, they are gill ets, designed to catch and kill large sharks and doing a lot of damage to other marine life at the same time. They have added to this in recent years, by putting in drum lines to kill even more big sharks.
The big sharks prey on the smaller shsarks, keeping their numbers in control. Right now there is an infestation of small sharks in KZN waters, which prey heavily on the bony fish (edibles). In fact in many places it is almost impossible to land a fish from a ski-boat without being taxed. This skewing in the marine ecology, by removing most apex predators has had a massive effect on the bony fish population of KZN.
3. Overfishing. The pressure on fish stocks in KZN from fishermen (commercial, subsistance and recreational) over the last 20 -30 years has been enormous. From the guys fishing the beaches and rocks, to the paddle ski fishemen, spearfishermen and ski boat fishermen. Many of these users sell their catch to supplement their income or keep their catch to eat at home. The fish population on the KZN coastline cannot sustain itself under the sort of fishing pressure that it has been subjected to, as well as the commercial fishing legal and illegal that is taking place. Particularly in light of the first two points. KZN seems to have the highest density of rods per kilometre of beach of any part of the South African coastline, and the least fish....
Those are my thoughts on the situation. I am sure that there are many other factors that contribute to the problem as well, but to my mind these are the three biggest issues. I am not sure where the solution lies, and even whether there is a solution. But thought that it makes an interesting topic for conversation and would like to hear other people's opinions, suggestions etc.
The rivers would need to be dredged and rehabilitated, including the banks of the small feeder streams and watercourses in order to get them viable as fish nursey areas again. Who would pay for this expensive excersize? Not the Sugar association or the farmers, I am sure. The sharks board would have to cease all its large shark killing activities, which would impact heavily on tourism and therefore profits of many businesses in KZN. The beach driving ban has helped, in that it has rendered certain areas "inaccessable", creating in effect some marine sanctuaries along our coastline, where fish stocks are able to recover now that the fishing pressure is off.
Any ideas guys?
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Tommo
Your three points are spot on! Just compare fishing in the transkei coast - beautiful estuaries for fish to breed, no shark nets and low impact fishing from local people (fish is not a favoured diet) - and the seas a re not conducive to trawlers coming too close to shore.
I think its near impossible to turn KZN south coast around - you would never get cooperation from sugar farmers - nor would you be able to control illegal fishing.
What you did leave out is the pollution that flows into the sea - via the Umgeni river, Durban habour, SAICCOR at Umkomaas etc etc....again, the transkei cost does not have this problem. Funny that the only real breeding ground left is actually Durban harbour!
We must also bear in mind that recreational fishermen are also guilty of killing off fish stocks - Every time I go fishing I see undersized fish and catches far exceeding bag limits - especailly the shad season...and you know that it is not easy (and probably not effective) to confront anglers. Ski boat fishermen (recreational) also sell their catch illegally. I know that commercials and illegal trawlers do more damage - but every transgression - no matter how small - makes an impact.
I have been going to Elysium for the past 30 years - and have seen the reduction in any decent catches (now I only fish for shad in season - and catch and release blacktail off the rocks for fun) - I have given up trying for anything else. The family has had a place there since way before we were born have pictures of fantastic fish caught there - and large boats navigating the mtwalume river (which now is a mere wading depth). Even 30 years ago I used to like fishing the mouth for perch and kingies - no such thing now!
Tommo - my feeling is that its all over - the ballies who used to fish like there was no tomorrow - did not realise that tomorrow would come so soon!
What we should focus on right now is ensuring that the areas that are still "OK" are not further degraded....how to do that is another question of course
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Some informational links on the issue
lets not forget the impact of the closed St Lucia mouth - see http://www.sasaa.co.za/sasaaftp/stumpystlucia.pdf (http://www.sasaa.co.za/sasaaftp/stumpystlucia.pdf) - purely due to bad farming practice, global warming - and of course human intervention!
see recerational angler patterns in KZN - they mainly fish in the shad season - see page one of http://www.ori.org.za/files/oriclenewsletter50.pdf (http://www.ori.org.za/files/oriclenewsletter50.pdf)
Heavy harvesting of the Durban Metropolitan Area's (DMA) marine resources over many years has reduced the size of the stock of economically valuable species available for harvest. This, in turn, has reduced the value of the commercial and recreational fishing opportunities. - see http://www.ceroi.net/reports/durban/issues/marine/impact.htm (http://www.ceroi.net/reports/durban/issues/marine/impact.htm)
South Africa's coastal and marine resources are under considerable threat and are already severely degraded in many areas due to over-harvesting and urban/industrial development. see this, its quite interesting: National State of the Environment Report: Marine and Coastal Sytems and resources - http://www.ngo.grida.no/soesa/nsoer/issues/coast/index.htm (http://www.ngo.grida.no/soesa/nsoer/issues/coast/index.htm)
See also - Marine Life of Southern Africa: http://www.enviropaedia.com/topic/default.php?topic_id=156 (http://www.enviropaedia.com/topic/default.php?topic_id=156)
Some suggestions inWESSA POLICY ON MARINE RESOURCES http://www.wessa.org.za/index.php/Policies/Marine-Resources.html (http://www.wessa.org.za/index.php/Policies/Marine-Resources.html)
see also a report by the United Nations Development Programme on Southern Africa and coastal and marine environments - http://www.eoearth.org/article/Southern_Africa_and_coastal_and_marine_environments (http://www.eoearth.org/article/Southern_Africa_and_coastal_and_marine_environments)
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Agreed Tommo and Ziggy , the fish stocks could and have not coped with the points you mentioned and would take years to recover to its former glory ,which i doubt we will see + its a monumental task to control/ police the rules and regs enforced to sustain the fish stocks, inaccesible and remote spots are the only places that still produce good catches , but for how long ? with the current economics and climate everything is driven by financial gain /exploitation with scant regard to the long term effects on sustainability , bit of a grim picture.. :sadd i fish at the most twice a year and savouir every moment and catch at the coast whether it be edible or non-ed.... and soon it will all be gone , even remote /pristine locations such as Kosi and the lake system have taken a hammering, very sad indeed.
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100% Tommo, and they are looking in the wrong places to find a solution. The estuaries are in a sad state.
What to do????????? (bat
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Tommo, I agree with you 100%. I grew up fishing the south coast. I returned to DBN in JAn this year and the only fish that I have caught are shad. Even the blacktails and other resident fish have dissapeared.
No rockcod, stumpies,etc.
Something is seriously not lekker. Even the sharks that you once caught at toti and scotsbburgh are no longer. I fished errol hayes last weekend, two fresh baits on slide out ofr 2hrs each and bait came back untouched, not even peckers. Scratched around for edibles, nothing!
Looks like im gonna have to start fishing the ballito area in future cause the south coast is a graveyard. With so much of reef and rock structure, its hard to acept that most of the fish have dissapeared. The reason you mentioned are most probably the cause of this problem.
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A temporary ban on estuary fishing... !!! but how do you do that with out invoking the wrath of the masses.. ?? :dunno: .
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A temporary ban on estuary fishing... !!! but how do you do that with out invoking the wrath of the masses.. ?? :dunno: .
No, a permanent ban on bad farming practices, plus all teh farmers to fix the problem. Sharks board to be closed.
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A temporary ban on estuary fishing... !!! but how do you do that with out invoking the wrath of the masses.. ?? :dunno: .
not too difficult to implement seeing that there are no fish in the estuaries anyway!
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Agreed Mike, + some serious opening up of the river systems either by natural causes or mechanical means .
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Agreed Mike, + some serious opening up of the river systems either by natural causes or mechanical means .
If they opened up the systems it will make a huge difference.
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Change the farmers????? Not when it affects their profits! And, mechanically opening the rivers will still pose huge challenges for the fish to re-establish their breeding grounds - the centuries that it took to build up the ecology of the rivers cant be brought back in an instant. And, are the fish stocks there to re-establish the estuaries?
Unfortunately - the establishment of marine reserves is the only logical solution right now - and that affects us directly. Lokk at Mkambati - the fishing there has been restricted since the reserve was created - you cant fish Mtentu any more either (not that I think its wrong to create the reserves - its just that I (rightfully) cant fish there anymore!)
So to catch fish I have go to the mountains to catch free run trout in the rivers - but not for long becasue trout are alien and soon to be removed from many rivers...
I wish I was born 300 years ago, lived on the shores of Durban bay - and had the equipment that I have today....what a blissful dream!
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As Ziggy pointed out, it is easier to look after the rivers that are currently productive (Eastern Cape) and halt the issues that have created this mess in KZN, than to rehabilitate already hammered rivers.
That said, I would like to see something done. It really burns me up that this has been allowed to get this far.
The main issue with the estuaries is water depth at the mouth area. If we look at the only two really productive, functioning estuarine systems in KZN, they are both seriously polluted and a mess in most other ways. I am referring to Durban Harbour and Richard's Bay harbour. The thing that sets them apart is the fact that their mouths are kept deep by dredging. The fish put up with the noise, disturbance and pollution, as long as they have deep water entry and exit points.
I am very worried about many of the (former) Transkei rivers, which are also silting up. They are otherwise in fairly pristine condition, but their mouths are getting shallower and choked up. Not due to organised farming, but erosion caused by overgrazing and deforestation by local people and their livestock on the river banks and the small watercourses feeding into those rivers. Many of them no longer produce the decent kob, garrick and skipjack that they did in the past, and I firmly believe that it is due to the mouths getting too shallow to allow free movement of larger fish into and out of these systems.
The rivers can be rehabilitated, but it is a lot of work and a costly excersize. The short rivers would be easier to sort out, as they have smaller catchment and inflow areas to rehabilitate. Many of our short rivers were some of the best fishing rivers along our coast, particularly those Transkei rivers. There is no point dredging a river mouth if it is just going to fill up again, the cause of the problem needs to be addressed, or the dredging will be a continuous job.
As for the Sharks Board... I really don't see that they can still be operating, it is an absolute shocker. 1950's ideas still being implemented, with no thought to the consequences!
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Does anyone have any idea on the rivers/ estuarine systems in the Eastern cape ?? or have they also silted up badly over the years.. reason i ask is i used to fish in the Bigha river and Greatfish river a youngster and they were all open and flowing strongly and the fishing was excellent.
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arn't majority of the sugar farms onwned by the suger producers ? Most of the farmers are just mangers.
If this is so , then lets tackle the sugar producers , let them life up to their social responsibility!!!
But be prepared to pay extra for the sweet stuff w;k
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another way is to boycott sugar until they change their practices - but, too many sweet tooth people out there who also just dont care
Seriously, its a near impossible task to regenerate the wetlands where sugar has been planted and to dredge out the rivers - and then get a proper ecosystem going again and attract the fish back again (especially since there are NO fish to attract)....we would not see the results in our life time
However, the first world has regenerated rivers - for example the Thames is now populated with fish again - they stopped pollution in the river (well, almost) and fixed up a lot of things.
I once fished a trout stream (Big Battle Creek) near Camp David in Washington DC that had been regenerated- it was a cesspool before. But, with careful planning and a lot of money it now looks pristine and has many trout in it - I caught this there:
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so what can i say/ add to what has already been said.
Not gonna be negative, just hope that something will be done. Forget about the tourists. Fokus on the country. Some people stand to loose lots of money.................
Ss
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Very interesting topic
There is no short term solution that I can think of. In terms of educating recreational fisherman, its come a long way the past few years with catch and relese being promoted by clubs, tv programs and Jan alleman ect. you will always get the people that take more than their bag limit and undersize fish, as long as their are regulations on the size and limits and officials that can implement them, there is not much more that you can do. On the sharks board I cant really comment as I do not know the implication it has on our fishing stocks. The river systems or nursing areas for me is the only real solution to the problem in the long run. If it can be proven that by opening the rivers and one can get the involvement of the goverment or local municipalty to participate in creating ideal breeding conditions it can go a long way to bring back the fish stocks to a respectable number in the future.
Unfortunately how one would get a project like that of the ground I dont know, but in my opinion its the best shot at restoring the stocks of our fish.
It is a good sign that some people are thinking and looking for solutions about the problem... You never know!
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Guys,
This is a very important topic,
Lets throw some ideas together and come up with a strategy.
UA is behind this 100% !
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Have you got any ideas to share Homie?
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My 2c
Get prominent people involved. Invite them to watch the documentary "At the end of the line"
The only way to resolved this issue is to get enviromental organizations involved. Let Carte Blance, ESA etc do a documentary about this problem.
Get local newspapers involved.
The only way to resolve this issue is to get private companies or induviduals aboard to help with funding.
Ask Gareth Cliff to write a letter on his website regarding the issue maybe we will received an invitation to the Office of the President :happ: :happ: :happ:
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Have you got any ideas to share Homie?
Yup.... Will update this asap... just running around in the office !.... Mondays !
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TOMMO I have mentioned this in another thread before. It is a sad state of affairs. Grew up in KZN and numerous rivers were open to the sea. I remember as a kid catching huge crabs in the river at Amanzimtoti. The water now smells as if it is rotting at the moment. That was many years ago.
The problem with a plan is, it needs to get passed the money. This is where the problem is. Everything that has caused this situation is been warranted in monetary terms. Some very serious measures are to be considered but who out there will be man enough to take a hard stance without any monetary gain today.
It is indeed a sad state of affairs and as per all here blame can be laid at many doorsteps.
The only way to most probably approach this is to TOI TOI. It seems the only activity that receives any attention.
Has anyone scratched around Trafalgar lately? I know it is an MPA but would like to know if has actually improved in any way.
Maybe a committee should be established and with the support of as many as possible continually bombard the institutions and organisations that are able to change this, till they succumb to some form of positive direction/decision? Is anyone here able to formulate a plan for the required corrective measures to be taken? All the preceding will be required.
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Tunaman - you are right - we need to Toi Toi - but this needs to be done in an organised fashion
Fist we need to establish who the relevant credible stakeholder organisations are that can be brought together to mount a campaign. One has to be careful not to only represent small and narrow interests - you need to go big to have impact. Organisations like WESSA, WWF, Greenpeace, Groundwork, conservancies and other environmentla/conservation organisations are a start. But, one also has to bring economic stakeholders in to the fold - such as commercial fishermen. Lets not forget that subsistence anglers are also important.
Of course you need to have a government body involved - especially those that deal with environmental and water issues. DWAF is also very concerned about the state of our rivers.
Research organisations like ORI are very important as well.
the point is to be careful to not only get angling clubs involved - then you will go nowhere!
Farmers associations are key - as is the Sugar Association (seeing that they will bear the brunt of it all!)
However - you need to have big funds for something like this - look at St Lucia where the World Bank has recently put some significant resources into trying to deal with the lake - like buying up farmlands on wetlands, removing alien vegetaion etc etc.
This is not a small ptoject - its HUGE - and thats why I initially mentioned in an earlier post that we should focus on places that are immediately rescuable - then look at the longer term projects for the seriously degradated places.
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Tunaman - you are right - we need to Toi Toi - but this needs to be done in an organised fashion
Fist we need to establish who the relevant credible stakeholder organisations are that can be brought together to mount a campaign. One has to be careful not to only represent small and narrow interests - you need to go big to have impact. Organisations like WESSA, WWF, Greenpeace, Groundwork, conservancies and other environmentla/conservation organisations are a start. But, one also has to bring economic stakeholders in to the fold - such as commercial fishermen. Lets not forget that subsistence anglers are also important.
Of course you need to have a government body involved - especially those that deal with environmental and water issues. DWAF is also very concerned about the state of our rivers.
Research organisations like ORI are very important as well.
the point is to be careful to not only get angling clubs involved - then you will go nowhere!
Farmers associations are key - as is the Sugar Association (seeing that they will bear the brunt of it all!)
However - you need to have big funds for something like this - look at St Lucia where the World Bank has recently put some significant resources into trying to deal with the lake - like buying up farmlands on wetlands, removing alien vegetaion etc etc.
This is not a small ptoject - its HUGE - and thats why I initially mentioned in an earlier post that we should focus on places that are immediately rescuable - then look at the longer term projects for the seriously degradated places.
ZIGGY should we not start by forming an official committee and then take it from there? Something like this requires an official body and management.
TOMMO what do you think? Maybe you can chair the committee?
This way it is organised and progress can be measured and targeting planned and funds raised etc. It is big indeed but it would be up to members here to do something otherwise we are no better.
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Tommo, I have just spent two windy weeks at Rocky bay which is close to Pennington. In the two weeks only one shad was caught at the South side of the caravan park close to the large rock outcrop. The fisherman did return the fish which was impressive. Apart from that I had to go to the rocks and caught Blacktail with my very very small rod and reel which makes it fun. Must say the Blacktails were mostly in the 27cm to 32cm size which was unusual for me as in May they were mostly 20cm. I agree with the all the other members on that a committee must be set up so that on body can deal with all the neccessary institutians rather than everyone making a noise and nobody will listen. I solving the problem must realise that anything done which is positive will help. The story of one person cannot make a difference which is not true. During the two weeks I was visited by the "fish police" once only to be asked where is the fish I cuaght. After telling them that I havent catched any they moved on no asking for licence or anything else. So I dont think these guys are very effective. We will have to do policing ourselves. I was ready to tell the guy to throw the shad back when he did. My story on the tidals pools where the small fish are being caught must be policed and educated. Commercial fisherman will have to start fisheries to farm fish and so on. Thanks for the topic ets get going.
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Guys unfortunately I think this will be a battle that we would lose as big money wins at the end of the day as I witnessed this weekend first hand.
It nothing to do with marine life but fauna & Floura. Not sure if you guys recall a year or 2 back Carte Blanche aired a show about mines wanting to buy a whole lot of land from farmers to convert into coal mines saying that this would create 50 000 jobs. This case ended up in the high court and guess what. The big money won has they have started buying all the farms in the Ellisras or Lephala(as its now known) area and building has commenced.
Sad but true......conservation does not stand a chance against greed.
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Hi Guys
Without sounding negative, the country is and has been experiencing change for the past 20 odd years and unfortunately our coastline, river and estuary systems are paying the price of this change. The government cant manage the day to day running of anything never mind a concept that they have no interest in at all.
I have been dealing with a few departments in government in regards to the development of recreational angling within South Africa and most of the high positioned, decision makers have absolutely no idea that recreational fishing generates huge annual revenue around R21 Billion, a greater revenue than rugby & soccer combined. And tourism contributes close to 5.6% of the national GDP????....and most of that is people coming to South Africa to see these amazing charateristics we share in South Africa.
Government don't have a clue about fishing, they can't grasp the consept that you save today to help tomorrow. The idea is that you gather all you can for today ONLY for today, and we see that with top government officials and how they handle government money etc in this country.
I have now started getting somewhere with a few of the departments and they are slowly starting to come around to the idea that you need people with knowledge in positions to ensure the correct projects are implimented at the correct time to ensure the eco-systems survive. They have now come to terms that the people that were appointed cant do the job AT ALL and even though they will put someone to get the job done they still will have a "politically correct" face to take the credit. BUT atleast the job will get done.
I agree with Thommo and all the positive feedback given and I'm sorry to say that the slippery slope started many years ago with Black Empowerment, not that I'm knocking BEE but taking skilled people out of thier jobs and replacing them with totally unskilled labour is crazy.
Eco-systems that have taken years and years to mature into the amazing river we once shared have slowly been breaking down into the damaged state they are in now days.
In my opinion they need to have more conservation areas as they do up North but along the entire Coastline, even in the eastern cape but especially in KZN NO FISH ZONE. I believe Durban Bay area to be one of them, build artificial reefs, and build man-made structure create eco-systems to enrich the systems and the rest will follow. Some of these conservation areas should be around river mouths to ensure these systems have regenerate powers without the impact of recreational damage.
Its honestly a very sad state of affairs and I hope someone actually pays attention and puts some effort into our systems..
I fear that this is last on a very long list of problems that need resolve in our amazing country.........
It would be good to (bat a few heads and swr at a few monkeys to get it done..............
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hmmm, I think that we are starting to miss the point here. The fishing, and the estuaries were going downhill well before BEE, or the ANC government even existed. This is one thing that cannot be blamed on the government in power at the moment.
The degradation of KZN's estuaries comes down to lack of enforcement of the soil conservation act by the previous government, and has not improved or got worse since the ANC got into power.
This is not a political issue, rather one that has come about, mainly due to ignorance.
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I totally agree, my blood is still boiling from my last trip to St Lucia...so there are still flames protruding from my head.......What a shambles! Anyway
Sorry my point was a little off your original topic and not directed at only the estuary systems but I suppose it was more directed at the general deteriation of the national parks and recreation areas, fishing sites and the general up hold of the fishing laws in many cases and the total lack of maintenance of all our fishing destinations.
I have been to a number of local parks lately that have little to no infrastructure in place anymore, no running water, no toilet facilities, little things that keep the ball rolling are missing.
I feel terrible that one day my kids might not have the opportunity to grow up the way I did....
We can only try...................still want to (bat some heads to get the job done.............it really is sad...
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Tommo, A very interesting thread, and I am sure it will be hotly debated.
I believe the problem has many influencong factors, many of which have been mentioned, and many missed.
The natal rivers have been affected by farming, pollution, overfishing for many years. This cant be blamed on the ANC govt, as it started way before their time. The sugar farms have been around for +_100yrs.
The Transkei rivers may look to be in "pristine" condition, but I beg to differ (as did Tommo). They are very silted at present, and this is due to a combination of factors, a major one of wehich is the porr farming/ deforestation. My 2 local rivers area shaddow of their former selves (10-15yrs ago). I have not caught a skipjack in my usaul flyfishing river since 2004. I used to get 1-10 on fly per day in summer with numerous kingies in between. Nowdays all i see is jellyfish by the million. Kob are scarce, I havnt caught a grunter in 10+ YEARS, and perch and snapper are only caught in the upper reaches. At low tide the mouth is now calf deep (as of End aug) and the sand bank run +_800-1000m up stream from the mouth. Their is no channel and this is mid transkei. The point nearby is heavily sanded up and has been for years. The surfers used to flock there for the awsome break, it is no more.
This is due to mother nature. The easern cape has not had a proper flood since +-1984/5, Natal since 1986. Since then we have had some heavy rains but not big enough to scour the rivers properly. These big rains just bring sild to the mouth. The easten cape has had some "Huge" seas and this pushes more silt up stream and not back out to sea. So Mother nature has been a cause of the problem.
The lack of Skipjack kingies etc is I belive also due to Mozambique being opened up and the poor fishing practices there. The gill nets, fish kraals at kozi etc are all killing off the migratory fish in huge numbers at their breeding grounds. Pommene etc are a shadow of their former selves due to the Gill nets.
Now the one I may be slaughtered for (as I have been on the other website). i believe the Recreational and "recromercials" from the south coast are to blame for the current poor catches. be it the past fishermen (not anglers) or the present ones, they like to catch as much as they can. I speak froma deepsea perspective but these guys have now moved to the transkei as they catch very little on the south coast, but when they hit the kei, the VIS KOORS hits and they must catch and keep as much as they can in the given period. I am generalizing I know, and appologise to those that dont do this, but i have seen guys fromt eh south coast hitting the kei and taking 15-20 copper steenbras in peak breeding season in a few days. These fish are 20-50kgs a piece. People from all over the county do this, I know, but of late the South coast guys have made a habbit of it, most there for "financial gain" as no one can eat that much fish. There is nothing left in their waters, so move somewhere else and hit that till its dead, then i guess move again.
Unfortunately, Fishing ios one of the few industries where you can harvest without putting much in. A fatrmer must plough, manage stock, rotate cropes, pay for seeds etc. Fisgshing, some equipment and then its take take take.
As destructive as floods are, I think its what the sa coastline needs, as its natures way of cleaning the rivers.
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Guys please do yourselves a favour and go and see END OF THE LINE. I watched it last night and it is heart breaking. There is so much mentioned in the documentary and a lot of scientists worked on the facts. A simple example is that fish farming does not work either as it takes 5 kg of baitfish to grow 1kg of Cod, a losing battle.
As stated by all here there is a problem and we all agree to that. Where the blame is, is not for us to decide but for scientists trained for these matters. I need to stress here like I have previously in this thread that if you are up for doing something about it, it is now to put up your hand and volunteer. There is no time. It is stated that we missed the opportunity to turn it around on a world scale back in 1988. Cod was wiped out. A monetorium was placed on COD till 1994. They tested the cod population 12 years later and still only caught a dozen or so.
It happened on our watch gentleman. Everyone from 30 to 60 allowed it to happen.
This problem is not unique to our country.
Go see the movie then come back to this thread and Volunteer services. No point in bitching about it and leaving it there.
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I dont know if this sugestion will be OK. Can we not open an account for this purpose and all our members can donate monthly or whenever they see fit into this account. If we want to persue this as a team we will need funding for certain cost during the process and this can be the starting point. Currently there are 704 members and if each can donate R100 per month it will bring in R7000 which will definitely help. I am willing to donate R100 for this cause and will also be able to assist with fund raising projects. Will Mike be able to speak to the ESA guys regarding a documentary as he seems to know them well.
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Tkei, thanks for your response. Your river is fishing poorly because of the mouth silting up. I have no doubt about about that. Those fish are not keen to move into a river mouth that is calf deep. The sad thing is that a flood is not going to scour it out. In the old days a good flood would have done the trick, but nowadays more topsoil will run into the system with the flood and it will have the opposite effect, silting it up even more. Our rivers are choking to death.
Willie, I am sorry to hear about the poor fishing you had at Rocky Bay. That is what it is like on the KZN south coast these days. I appreciate your enthusiasm to get stuck in and donate cash etc. The problem is so broad, that it would take billions to make even a small dent. The issue is not just dredging the river mouths, but also rehabilitating the catchment areas and watercourse banks so that there is not further silt runoff every time it rains. We are talking about a massive area for each and every river!
Tunaman, I look forward to seeing "End of The Line", though I suspect I will find it very depressing! I appreciate your passion for this issue as well. I think that the answer lies in creating awareness, getting as many people as possible up to speed with the issues at hand. If we can get land owners/land users in catchment areas of the coastal rivers to buy in to the concept of rehabilitating the rivers and the land along the small watercourses is the start, then a difference can be made. The government is unlikely to get involved to any great extent, as they are struggling to keep abreast of what they already have on their plate. Also it is unlikely that any real progress will be made with a forceful or militant approach, that would just get backs up and do more damage than good. Awareness and education are the way forward.
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So where do we start.
We need to identify an area/s to start. Concentrate on that specific area/s for a beginning.
Get everybody involved. Scientist, community leaders, private companies, media etc.
And take it from there.
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RR start by putting a formal committee together. Then take it from there. The only way to do it properly. So lets hear nominees and start up one. Lots of info to look for once started up and it will be good to also have representation from all over the country.
TOMMO are you up for Chairman position?
Anyone with a Fin back ground to manage the financial side?
RR would you like to volunteer as a member?
I will volunteer my services as a member as well.
Any other volunteers?
We first need to form and then we can draw up an agenda.
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I will volunteer as well. I dont see my last post regarding this issue but I did send an e-mail to Durbans Oceanographic research institute on information as what they might have on there research work done on the coast. Still waiting for their reply.
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Well said Tommo ..
I think the worst worring fact that is hapening right now on all of the KZN coast line is happining at night time with illegal fishing 'Chinnese trawlers' .. This is whats really zapping the foad chain this past while. There not even giving the fish a chance to re stock themselves again.. Obviously these 'idiots' dont think of this at the time.. And when the bullet comes to bite, they wonder whey there not catching in there nets anymore duh
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Uh guys... I am one of those people who avoids committee's like the plague. I have never wanted to be on one and would rather keep it that way. I am very happy to do my bit in terms on publiscising an issue and raising awareness etc.
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Smart man...
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I grew up on the South Coast and have spearfished and fished the mid to lower South Coast for many years.I agree there are not as many fish as there used to be.
I do believe that there are a number of problems.The silting up of estuaries is a big problem as these are the nurseries but I think the biggest problem is mans greed.I have seen with my own eyes the greed of commercials,recreationals and recrommecials.
I would like to know of how many of us have never 'bent' the fishery laws to suit ourselves,yes that small shad for live bait or that slightly undersize fish.When last did you tell your fishing partner to not break the law.If you are watching you are just as guilty.We are our own worst enemies.
We are very quick to complain but are not very good about doing anything about it.How many of the complainers have offered to join the Parks Board to become Honoury Officers and help with permit and catch checks?Most of the Honoury guys in the Scottburgh area are 60 years old plus. How many of you have called the Parks Board when you have seen people breaking the law?
When last did you help with cleaning your local river?
Sorry for the rant but there is stuff we can do, but most of us,me included don't have 'time' or don't care enough to do anything.
I also think that certain species have good and bad years.The Natal snoek run for the last 2 years has been quite good and the shad run this year was fairly good too.
My 2c worth
Funny enough this year has been one of my best years for the number and size of fish that I have shot.
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Guys, this is a tough subject and I would like to provide my input. This is my personal opinions and views, supported by some biological background, and I may well be wrong about some things.
The Problems
The main problems in my opinion are:
1)Mal practices in our river catchment areas have destroyed the natural functioning of these systems.
2)The custodianship of our coastal resources is too vaguely defined, leaving lots of space for blame shifting and lack of performance.
3)Unscrupulous anglers have, and are still decimating the little bit that is left.
4)Shark nets.
To expand on each of these points
1. The river systems that feed into our ocean have in the past performed a multitude of functions that ensured a health coastal fish population. One of the best-known and most obvious functions of active, open, river mouths was to provide a relatively safe and protected breeding area for juvenile marine fish. The juvenile fish and fish larvae had a much better chance of reaching adulthood under the conditions provided by these systems. Another important function (often overlooked) of river mouths was also the introduction of a rich bounty of food and nutrient resources. They served as a refuge and breeding space for a great variety of crustaceans and other invertebrates that not only fed the juvenile fish, but sustained a variety of predatory fish. The rivers washed down loads if vital nutrients in the form of fresh and decayed plant material, animal rests dissolved macro- and micro-nutrients etc. All of these nutrient sources played a role in the maintenance of the food chain that flourished before human mal-practices (I firmly believe that humans have a rightful place in the environment and food chain….if they use natural resources instead of abusing it).
Thus, with the silting up of the river mouths, the ocean food chain not only loses breeding space, but also loads and loads of essential nutrients. Without the abundance of nutrients, the coastal areas can sustain much smaller fish populations as the competition for nutrients becomes more important than competition for re-production.
The silting up of the rivers is not only due to surface runoff resulting from poor farming practices and land management, but is also a result of excessive water extraction for residential, agricultural and industrial use. Obviously, the more water is abstracted from the system before it reaches the ocean, the slower the water will flow. Under normal river flow rates, the water would have provided silt particles (from surface runoff) with enough momentum to wash all the way down to the ocean, where the currents and wave action would have dispersed it, thus no siltation problems. However, with the reduced flow rates, more and more silt particles settle to the bottom long before it can reach the ocean. Over time, the build-up of silt will result in shallower river basins. The result is that the water disperses over a bigger area, and the river channels disappear, leaving these large flat, sandy riverbeds where once mighty rivers flowed to the sea, and of course, where the water slows down on the beach, the last bits of sediments are deposited, creating the banks that cut of the river mouths.
Unfortunately, just bulldozing the river mouths open, will be a continuous, expensive and rather futile exercise, as the problems originates much higher up in the catchment. The only way would be to fix these systems all the way from source to sea…. Something that will take decades…if it is not too late.
2. The custodianship of our coastal resources if too vaguely defined. (I am no politician, and do not aspire to ever be one, so I may be over-stepping some lines here…..and it ain’t fishing lines!). Here I am not talking about research institutions like ORI and the likes, I am referring to the decision-making and governing bodies. Marine and Coastal management was (as far as my understanding goes) supposed to be the National Custodians of all ocean resources in South Africa. This is all well and goods, but to my knowledge, the entire M&CM unit is concentrated in Cape Town…. Which results in pretty poor coverage of the South African coastal zone. In the KZN coastal region, the management of our coastal resources falls under KZN wildlife, but is still governed by M&CM. This is where the blame shifting etc comes in whilst in the meantime the environment takes the knocks. Before I get into trouble, and because I am not too clued up on how exactly this whole system works, I will end by saying that we are in desperate need of a official (government supported) governing body with the full mandate to manage all coastal resources specific to KZN (I am going specifically with KZN as this is what the topic is about). Coupled to this, is the fact that there is far too little research going on. The current research teams are under-staffed and severely under-funded, and it cannot be expected of them to deliver much more outputs.
3. Unscrupulous anglers are destroying whatever is left and remotely edible. Please do not make this a cultural/racial issue, as this is not my intention by this. One big problems here is anglers that catches fish for the sole purpose of selling them, which is of course illegal. These guys feel nothing for the stock status of any species, and simply take anything of any size that will get him a couple of Rands. They are very often people driving expensive vehicles, and fishing with top end gear, and are definitely not doing this for survival. In fact, you can clearly see which guys are really doing it for survival, and their gear generally do not enable them to do significant damage to fish populations! Another major problem is anglers specifically targeting smaller fish (nothing wrong in principle, as they are sometimes all thats left to target and provide some fun on light tackle) but then taking all fish out, irrespective of size or bag limits. The problem is that many of these are not small fish species, but are juvenile fish that now hangs out around the rocks, as they no longer have the safety of the rivers to grow up in. By removing all the small fish…. the natural food source that brought the predators inshore are removed, leaving the bigger fish with not much reason to come inshore in any great numbers. One possible example is the fact that the ski and boat anglers are getting loads of shad at the shark-nets, and other bait spots, while at the same time, surf anglers battle to find a single shad…… Fish will go where the food is.. and if the food is no longer in the surfzone… neither will they be!
4. Lastly, the Shark-nets. This is a difficult one, but I for one agree that they can influence the food chain in the surfzone and I fully agree that the constant use of shark “interventions” is outdated, and causing more harm than good.
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Sorry for the long rant... tomorrow I will share what I think may help a little bit
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All nicely put critter! And I agree with all that you say...only factor that you did not deal with is pollution - like the Umgeni river, Durban harbour for example and Saiccor at Umkomaas sending out stuff way into the reefs.
Do you have any data/reserach on the impact of pollution?
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Some good points there guys.
Just as a matter of interest KZN Wildlife Honorary officers have exactly zero powers of arrest. They also are not allowed (legally) to ask for someone to show their permit. They have no powers at all. The best they can do is report in when they see something and the KZN Official has to come and deal with the issue. Which makes the Honorary Officer no more empowered than any of us.
I checked this with our local KZN Wildlife guy, as I was happy to volunteer my services as an honorary officer, but decided what the hell, I can report things in as it is.
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Reefman - it was so "lunchbar" of you to move the topic to the right forum! Thanks for keeping us in line
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Some good points there guys.
Just as a matter of interest KZN Wildlife Honorary officers have exactly zero powers of arrest. They also are not allowed (legally) to ask for someone to show their permit. They have no powers at all. The best they can do is report in when they see something and the KZN Official has to come and deal with the issue. Which makes the Honorary Officer no more empowered than any of us.
I checked this with our local KZN Wildlife guy, as I was happy to volunteer my services as an honorary officer, but decided what the hell, I can report things in as it is.
This is true Tommo,but there are things that Honorary guys can do.KZN Wildlife in our area, Park Rynie, have just taken on a skipper to help with launching their duck to police further out to sea.The 60year old plus guys can't push the boat and I am sure the skipper would have a serious problem with launching with some of them.Here is were the Honorary helpers come in.I know some of the Honorary guys do help with busts and checks - safety in numbers.
They have already started catching guys breaking the law and like Critter said it is often the guys that don't need the money.Hopefully with a better presence in our area things will start changing for the better.I know that if I see stuff going on I certainly report to the anti poaching line and have seen guys get arrested.
Look forward to meeting you on the beach some day,maybe when the bridge get fixed!
Tight lines.
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All nicely put critter! And I agree with all that you say...only factor that you did not deal with is pollution - like the Umgeni river, Durban harbour for example and Saiccor at Umkomaas sending out stuff way into the reefs.
Do you have any data/reserach on the impact of pollution?
Sheez.... huge oversight from my side.....
Will put some ideas together and post them a bit later...
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Following is a reply I recieved from The Oceanographic Researh Institute;
Hi Willie,
You have certainly asked a very difficult question! There are many factors which are believed to contribute to the state of our marine resources. The state of our rivers is only one such problem. The biggest reason, which seems the most difficult to accept is that of over-fishing. The sea’s resources are capable of renewal, under moderate exploitation. However, in most cases, fish are being removed at a faster rate than breeding stock can supply. Furthermore, it is mostly larger fish (with high reproductive capacity) that are sought after by fishermen. Removal of these fish slows down reproduction further. Numerous studies worldwide have shown that over-fishing has diminished the sea’s resources and its capability for renewal.
Bag limits and minimum sizes help but we have unlimited fishermen. Catch and release is one way of ensuring that you can enjoy catching the same fish multiple times but great care should be taken when handling fish; they are not as tough as we think. Other studies have shown that many fish which are released may die from being roughly handled or are eaten by predators. Using circle hooks and removing barbs is a fantastic way of reducing harm to fish. Circle hooks, if large enough, nearly always hook fish in the mouth and not in the gills or stomach. If hooked in the stomach with a barbless hook, the line can be cut leaving the hook behind. We have noticed that these hooks pass right through the fish. Trying to remove a hook from a fish’s stomach almost always kills the fish. Hooks do not rust quickly, contrary to popular belief. Hooks only rust quickly if they are removed from salt water and left in air. Water contains little air and slows down the rusting process. Marine protected areas are a way of protecting breeding stock, which can supply adjacent areas with adults and juveniles. Supporting these areas is a good way to ensure their long-term success.
If you are interested, I suggest that you read a book called “An unnatural history of the sea” by Professor Callum Roberts. It gives a very interesting account of how the sea has been fished before thousands of years.
Best regards,
Jade Maggs
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Hi Guys
No doubt the situation is a mess and some of the things like KZN’s estuaries are beyond repair but we need to focus on what can be done. The days of expecting MCM to implement effective or even fair measures are long gone. Science and common sense have left the building and replaced with greed and money as the motivating factor.
I often look at these forums and I see a lot of whinging and not much action. If every angler who complained on fishing forums took the time just to do the some of following we might see a difference:
•Pick up litter on the rocks or beaches even if it’s not yours
•Limit your catch don’t catch your limit
•Educate other anglers on the rocks about bag limits why they exist etc (not easy in the shad run in KZN I agree) pick your moments
•Put pressure on your local retailers not to sell threatened or over fished species (see the SASSI red and orange list www.wwfsassi.co.za (http://www.wwfsassi.co.za)) – don’t be scared to take aggressive action
•If you belong to a club, make sure you and your club is walking the talk
•Report poaching or transgressions
•Become the bulldog in your back yard – don’t tolerate nonsense, if everybody looked after their marine back yard we wouldn’t find ourselves in the situation we in today
Apathy and doing nothing make you part of the problem, not the solution.
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This topic is obviously very close to all our hearts and problems identified are probably spot on the money. However the solutions preferred lack one vital ingredient. The ability to police the proposed solutions if implemented.
I lived in the States for a number of years where there is something like 1 law enforcement officer (cop, fed, fish and game) for every 7000 people where our ratio is 1 for every 70 000. While I was there, we obviously did a lot of fishing on the rivers and off the Florida panhandle but two particular incidents come to mind in respect of policing the fisheries which I might add are in pristine condition.
Fishing out of Mobile, I caught a yellow belly rock cod that would have fed a small African village. I had the first fish until the skipper of the charter removed the hook held it against the ice chest and unceremoniously tossed it back into the sea. I was gobsmacked. When I protested that this was not meant to be a catch and release trip he said “sorry sonny, too small and there is a $1000 (2003) fine if the Dept of Fish and Game find undersized fish on the boat”. We went on to catch even bigger rock cod and grouper and I am proud to say that once we had enough for the pot we released dozens of really big bottoms.
In another incident, on the Yuba river California, in an area demarcated for barbless fly fishing only, I watched a local get arrested for fishing with spinners. He was literally 30 feet upstream of a bridge that demarcated the cut off point for his style (spinners) of trout fishing. A separate area was allocated for bait fishing. He was fined $250 and his tackle confiscated until the fine was paid. In terms of the law, Americans are (in my view ) very conscientious. Simply because if you contravene the rules of the fishery there will be consequences.
South Africans are far too complacent when it comes to the law because there is no enforcement.
I strongly believe that if the farmers were fined for allowing topsoil to wash into the rivers, if the bag limits were monitored and under sized catches punished, if the waters were properly patrolled and illegal fishing vessels impounded, all with consequences, we would be able to turn the fishing around on the KZN coast.
Similarly, proper policing of the fisheries in Mozambique would have a remarkable effect on their tourism and economy. Sadly, the unscrupulous gill netting along the reefs at Barra, Coconut, Pandaine and the like will soon leave that coast raped of its attraction to divers and anglers.
Finally a point on Richards Bay, it is my understanding that the dredging of the harbour needs to be studied with a little more due diligence. I am told that the discarded silt is not being dumped far enough off shore. Consequently all that silt is drifting up the coast and blocking the St. Lucia estuary which was one of the primary breeding grounds for fish on out coast line. All St. Lucia is good for now is crocodile watching where 30 years ago it was the top angling spot in KZN.
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I strongly believe that if the farmers were fined for allowing topsoil to wash into the rivers, if the bag limits were monitored and under sized catches punished, if the waters were properly patrolled and illegal fishing vessels impounded, all with consequences, we
would be able to turn the fishing around on the KZN coast.
I think this is a fab idea and would work VERY well .. But the unfortunate thing is the downfall of everything as you know it .. This brings more and more people to the waters that will eat what they catch no matter what size, because these poor okes are starving. It makes one really sad.
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Finally a point on Richards Bay, it is my understanding that the dredging of the harbour needs to be studied with a little more due diligence. I am told that the discarded silt is not being dumped far enough off shore. Consequently all that silt is drifting up the coast and blocking the St. Lucia estuary which was one of the primary breeding grounds for fish on out coast line. All St. Lucia is good for now is crocodile watching where 30 years ago it was the top angling spot in KZN.
This makes me made to see in Richards Bay .. My fav place on earth St.Lucia.. Been there 3 years in a row now, and every year the dunnes and sand make more of a distance from estuary to see.. Is there any way of not trying to re open the mouth again? I see the dredger there disused.. surely they can makes things the same again over a period of time?
your right about the crocs.. I put a float on my bait sometimes now, because of the crocs.
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I would love to imagine that I can make a difference in the way others behave (farmers, commercial anglers, government officials handing out commercial licenses, catch and release, recycling of litter and the management thereof, etc.) but that unfortunately is a pipe dream.
I can however change the way I do things to ensure that the fish I catch remain alive, healthy and grow up to be big breeders of their species.
This is what's on MY list -
1. When I feel like eating fish, I will go to John Dories, they know how to prepare it.
2. No stainless hooks
3. No ripping big fish up from the bottom and releasing them only to bob around the surface until they die.
4. Light tackle is for fish under 5kg's, not for big fish that you have to fight for ages and release on the brink of death that just sink to the bottom and die anyway.
5. Spear and Release, oh hang on - that doesn't work so well.
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I see lots of ideas and comments all in the right direction but not a tangible list of objectives. Some times you got to start small. Elephants are eaten one bite at a time.
Why not draft a short list of reasonably ambitious but achievable objects that could make a difference even if small. See the Shelly beach ski-boat club is pushing hard to ban chumming and bottom fishing on the Protea Banks. Idea is to only allow lure fishing on the banks.
May not seem that significant but if you have fished in Protea Banks Circus which is on display when ever the weather is good and seen the number of boats operating there on any given day you will realise that if they pull this off what a big achievement it will be.
Five suggestions:
• Push for a "no take what so ever" MPA even if small KZN clubs can push this and manage this - even it is just your clubs “house reef”
• Adopt 1 estuary and see if we can convince the land owners up stream to not grow cane right up to the edge, clean up sources of pollution and push for catch and release fishing only
• Push the Sharks board to remove more netting - they have quite a bit over the years but since the Aliwal Shoal area is a semi MPA (think it’s from Umgababa to Green point) why not push for the nets to be pulled out inshore
• Pressure KZN fish retailers to participate with SASSI and not to stock or trade with "red listed" species
• Push / lobby for better protection of our overfished slow growing endemic reef fish – push clubs to implement “gentleman’s” rules. No boated Black Muscle Cracker under 10kg as an example
These initiatives don’t need a committee organising bodies, just a couple of guys to allocate a hour of their day to the cause and some stratergy.
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Its a sad realisation, if something is not done NOW our future is looking scary....
Just as an example, just a one, when I was traveling South America we had amazing fishing, with rich exotic estuaries and brilliant catches off the beach and boat, in so many areas BUT when we came across an area that the river systems had perished the immediate area was like the mediteranian sea, empty and dead......if you saw a few tiny fish while diving it was alot......In some cases these rivers had a huge past being powerful and strong, photos from locals proved the amazing life that lived in the area....Birds, fish, animals etc
Being a fisherman, you want to catch fish, and after not doing so you start asking questions and sfter speaking to many of the locals they all said the same thing in every case, once the river became poor and non functional so did the surrounding eco-systems........
It is so serious,
I did speak to a gentleman from Government at Ilembe District to try and make an introduction and hopefully there might be some way of driving talks with the cane owners. I dont know, Hopefully something comes from it.
After all, recreational angling contributeshugely to our country and we should have the backing to do something about this.......
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Please excuse grammar.......................................making traces and typing with serious attitude :hyst: !!
:happ:
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Tommo i totally agree with what you have mentioned, further to that what riles me to no end is the total disregard for marine life and the over exploitation thereof by local inhabitants between hibberdene and Mtwalume. I travel between Durban and Port Shepstone daily and witness hundreds of shad and crayfish being sold on the road side daily. I've reported this to the authorities and nothing is done about it.
Unfortunately the blame can not only be placed on the commercial farmers for the soil erosion into our river systems. Local foot paths chanel water that runs down into our rivers dumping soil into the rivers. Over time these become huge dongas that expel massive amounts of top soil. Rural farming inveriably is done alongside river banks for irrigation purposes, poor farming techniques result in massive soil erosion.
Dredging up the river beds to deepen them is also a major environmental no no as it kills fauna and flora.
Currently the Department of Environmental Affairs has taken on the large number of sand winning companies (mining) in the Umzumkulu river . They are all mining around the batsons drift area.
Also although we may all have good intentions and want a positive out come, the truth of the matter is that inorder for anything to materialize we need to consult with Government and have Government change the indigenous rural peoples farming and conservation behaviour by developing legislation, policies or guidelines. Then have a government Dept implement and monitor.
Knowing our government this will never happen
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I agree someting needs to be done in order for the Fishing in KZN to be turrned around. One of the areas that i feel that many people overlook is the overfishing that goes on. Shad season comes and it is not impossible for One fisherman to take home as many as 40 Shad a day. Law is 4 on you at any one time not 4 a day. The guys that fish for Kob and take home up to 10 fish when the Limit is 1. This is also a serious problem that needs to be overcome. We need to ask ourselves how long can we carry on rapping he sea and expect nothing to happen. Before we start to petition farmers to change their practices we need to get all fishermen o be on the same page.
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Tommo, I agree with you 100%. I grew up fishing the south coast. I returned to DBN in JAn this year and the only fish that I have caught are shad. Even the blacktails and other resident fish have dissapeared.
No rockcod, stumpies,etc.
Something is seriously not lekker. Even the sharks that you once caught at toti and scotsbburgh are no longer. I fished errol hayes last weekend, two fresh baits on slide out ofr 2hrs each and bait came back untouched, not even peckers. Scratched around for edibles, nothing!
Looks like im gonna have to start fishing the ballito area in future cause the south coast is a graveyard. With so much of reef and rock structure, its hard to acept that most of the fish have dissapeared. The reason you mentioned are most probably the cause of this problem.
+1. I had the same experience when I was down at the south coast this past month.
I've been fishing the lower south-coast for the past 27+ years and have seen the steady decline in the fishing on the south coast as a whole. I slid a bait at a very promising beach spot this past trip, also came back untouched after 2 hours out. In fact of the 10 days I was there, only 3 fish came out, two of which were mine.
I just get the feeling the war has been lost and there is nothing we can do about it.
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I agree someting needs to be done in order for the Fishing in KZN to be turrned around. One of the areas that i feel that many people overlook is the overfishing that goes on. Shad season comes and it is not impossible for One fisherman to take home as many as 40 Shad a day. Law is 4 on you at any one time not 4 a day. The guys that fish for Kob and take home up to 10 fish when the Limit is 1. This is also a serious problem that needs to be overcome. We need to ask ourselves how long can we carry on rapping he sea and expect nothing to happen. Before we start to petition farmers to change their practices we need to get all fishermen o be on the same page.
Agreed. I was checking out Margate pier recently and saw an angler keeping every damn fish he caught, including a very small shad. The problem with confronting guys, esp when in groups is your risk a violent confrontation when you give them a mouthful about under-size fish being kept. Poaching of our marine resources should be heavily punished, but alas with the justice system what it is in S.A, this is unlikely. swr
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Wow, a topic as important as this one and no discussion since Feb 2012 :dunno:
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Wow, a topic as important as this one and no discussion since Feb 2012 :dunno:
I think Tommo said it all in the beginning sir
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Yes he did Greg, but if we don't decide on an action plan and do something we're in more trouble than we we know. Your tax problem is a result of a lot of this stuff as an example.
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Good day folks, this will be my first post on your site and surely not my last. I reside in Pinetown and do all facets of angling. I have seriously concentrated my efforts on rock and surf angling over the past three years but one becomes so negative when you return outing after outing and no results. I firmly believe in catch and release but unfortunately nothing to release any more.
Now what I wanted to say. Due to the dismal rock and surf fishing I have started taking the boat into Durban harbour. Earlier one of the members mentioned that this was the only breeding ground/nursery left on our coast. Well, sadly I have to disappoint you, I have witnessed, over my last couple of outings, how undersize fish are taken out and never returned. This place is our last hope and it is being raped as well. Nobody has ever checked my boat when I leave the water! Something has to be done to stop this or this area will be fruitless as well.
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Well said hardfisher.
We fish the Bay regularly and there is a stunning variety of species to be caught. Our record is 8 species in a session, and that was last weekend! Fortunately most baitfishermen (90% of those out there) would be lucky to catch most of these, and as long as the baitfish are plentiful the gamefish won't have to eat a dead bait and end up in a boot. The Grunter and Salmon species aren't as lucky as they'll pick baits up off the bottom, and these are the fish being removed in massive numbers. I have only seen artificial lure fishermen keep 2 fish, one being a Snoek and the other a big Rock Salmon that was a PB. Both these anglers release their catches normally.
I also see more policemen in the harbour than I see anywhere else these days. So my ideas are these:
1. Dedicated strict catch and release zones. Start with Richards Bay and Durban Harbours. Let the little ones grow large and either stick around for us to continue catching or release themselves into the open ocean. There are only a few spots in Durban Harbour where you can launch a boat and there are always people present at the clubs who could police this, and about 50 cops at the public slipway that can do their part in searching boats. There are also only a few ways to drive in, and its not difficult to spot the fisherfolk and search their vehicles.
These rules can then be enforced at the open river mouths as well, starting with the Umgeni and the stretch north till the end of the swamps. Plenty breeding size gamefish and bottoms came out there this summer.
2. Outlaw keeping bottom fish and baitfish at important rocky habitats such as the area from Umhlanga Lighthouse to the pier, and also Umdloti. The inshore reefs need to be protected because no pelagic is going to visit if there is nothing for him to eat. This should apply of course to other similar specific areas up and down the coastline. Spillover from protected areas will assist the unprotected areas in becoming more productive in the long run, the same as what has happened at Cape Vidal.
3. Allow for 2 types of fishing licenses. Those fishing for consumption should pay far higher fees than those that release. Charge say R500 a year for a fisherman who is allowed to keep fish (at the unprotected areas) and R100 a year for the recreational catch and release permit. Should a catch and release permit holder be caught with fish the fine should be the balance per fish (R400) and the suspension of his license for a year. The government love money and the taxation of citizens so I'm sure somebody up there would find this favourable. Whether the money is actually put back into conservation or not is another story, but at least it would act as a deterrent to poachers and such. After all, hunting and keeping any other animal is far more pricey than driving up close an snapping a pic. The fines for fishing without a license and for not adhering to quotas should also be far more hefty.
4. Drop legal quotas. I have checked the legal quotas for every fish on the list and some of the numbers of some species are ridiculous. Some offshore species you may be lucky and find it hard work to get 2, but the legal quota is 10. That just doesn't make sense to me, that one boat is allowed 10 fish, where it would be extremely difficult for 5 boats to get 10. The balance is not right.
These ideas are not as costly as trying to resurrect dead systems, and are merely a case of adjusting the law. I'm sure a large enough concerned group with the backup of conservationists could encourage the relevant departments to secure more funding by the implementation of higher fees and fines, and conservation would benefit by default.
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I'm with you JBal. Perhaps we should look at drafting a request for proposals on this matter. We can collate the responses and submit to the KZN dept. Thereafter we follow up regularly to ensure some progress is made.
There is a win win situation here and we could utilise that. I'm an attorney and I'm willing to help the cause.
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J ball I would gladly sign such a partition. Something that kills me each is the way the guys are raping shad I have seen countless times how guys take 3 to 4 times their quota I have phoned parks board numerous times still waiting for them to come to reported areas sad sad sad!!!!! <:
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The quota should be one (legal) fish per person per day - NO MORE! If youre unemployed and live off the sea fish every day.
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The quota should be one (legal) fish per person per day - NO MORE! If your unemployed and live off the sea fish every day.
Chigger what these guys do is they catching any species and bagging any size fish no matter if it's big all small. What they do is putting their catches into plastic bags and go hide them in the dunes or digging hole on the beach and hiding them only to be retrieved later or once parks board has left
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The quota should be one (legal) fish per person per day - NO MORE! If your unemployed and live off the sea fish every day.
Chigger what these guys do is they catching any species and bagging any size fish no matter if it's big all small. What they do is putting their catches into plastic bags and go hide them in the dunes or digging hole on the beach and hiding them only to be retrieved later or once parks board has left
"JA, well, no, fine" - you can legislate all the laws you want - Ineffective policing = effective criminals.
If they really wanted to catch them they just have to take drive up the N2 from Shellybeach to Hibberdene and every kilometre there is a "salesman" with 5 undersized shad for sale.
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I'm with you JBal. Perhaps we should look at drafting a request for proposals on this matter. We can collate the responses and submit to the KZN dept. Thereafter we follow up regularly to ensure some progress is made.
There is a win win situation here and we could utilise that. I'm an attorney and I'm willing to help the cause.
Thanks Moolla,
Legislation to protect reef dwelling species and the protection of nursery areas is the most important thing for now. I believe Umdloti is close to becoming a no fishing zone in any case, which is a tad extreme and it didnt really have to come to that. Maybe we should look at starting an association to fight for clean, safe beaches, along with pushing for more stringent conservation laws, better co-operation from the Parks Board, and the protection of fisher folk.
I already know a few fellas trying to get involved.
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Hi all, I am relatively new to the forum but have been fishing along the KZN south coast since I was a young boy. (I don't live in KZN but my grandpa used to and I visited a couple times a year for the better part of the last 25 years)
It is very sad and alarming to read this thread -- I see that the last response here was nearly 6 years ago, does anyone know the current state of this problem to date in 2020? Are things getting better at all?
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I highly doubt the situation has improved, Covid offered a brief respite for a few months but things are back to normal. The Garrick slaughter continues at Port St John and the poacher gill netters are hard at work in the North, coupled with a failed economy I expect things to get much worse.
But the prevailing issue is the "Tragedy of the Commons", a reference to 17th century England common grazing land which was depleted through over use. Its defined as "a situation in a shared-resource system where individual users, acting independently according to their own self-interest, behave contrary to the common good of all users by depleting or spoiling the shared resource through their collective action."
In other words the mindset is, if I dont catch and take this fish home, somebody else will. And that mentality will be almost impossible to break, for example when the Cod fishery in Newfoundland collapsed the fishermen switched to swordfish and tuna. Both are now under sever strain and the swordfish of the Grand Banks might never recover.
My point is, humans are insatiable to the point of self destruction.
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Echo 7 :corrct: , unfortunately so true. :toppie:
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I highly doubt the situation has improved, Covid offered a brief respite for a few months but things are back to normal. The Garrick slaughter continues at Port St John and the poacher gill netters are hard at work in the North, coupled with a failed economy I expect things to get much worse.
But the prevailing issue is the "Tragedy of the Commons", a reference to 17th century England common grazing land which was depleted through over use. Its defined as "a situation in a shared-resource system where individual users, acting independently according to their own self-interest, behave contrary to the common good of all users by depleting or spoiling the shared resource through their collective action."
In other words the mindset is, if I dont catch and take this fish home, somebody else will. And that mentality will be almost impossible to break, for example when the Cod fishery in Newfoundland collapsed the fishermen switched to swordfish and tuna. Both are now under sever strain and the swordfish of the Grand Banks might never recover.
My point is, humans are insatiable to the point of self destruction.
Spot on! Great Post! :+ cred: