KZN fishing in serious trouble

[RusticRainman]

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     

[Homie]

Have you got any ideas to share Homie?

Yup.... Will update this asap... just running around in the office !.... Mondays !

[TUNAMAN]

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.

[Ziggy]

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.

[TUNAMAN]

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.

[Willie]

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.

[Prego]

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.

[CASTSA]

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    a few heads and  at a few monkeys to get it done..............

[Tommo]

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.

[CASTSA]

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  some heads to get the job done.............it really is sad...

[tkei]

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.

[TUNAMAN]

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.

[Willie]

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.

[Tommo]

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.

[RusticRainman]

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.


   

[TUNAMAN]

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.

[Willie]

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.

[G!enn]

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 

[Tommo]

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.

[Skaap Tjop]

Smart man...