The stock of some fish, like shad, is under huge threat. It is therefore vital that fishermen comply with the regulations that govern the fishing industry.
Anglers can catch only four shad each per day, and the fish must be 30cm in length.
But many fishermen are turning a blind eye to this.
The director of education at Seaworld, Jone Porter, said their disregard would not only affect fish stocks but the livelihood of all fishermen.
She said the shad stock was huge decades ago, but had dwindled over the years, leading to regulations such as bag limitations and a closed season for fishing.
“The bag limitation was introduced in the early ’70s. Fishermen could only catch two fish a day per person because shad was on the verge of extinction. Then, in the late ’70s the closed season was introduced and as a result, the shad stock slowly recovered,” Porter said.
When told about an angler, who was unemployed and had caught 15 shad to feed his family and make money to help pay his monthly expenses, she said this posed problems.
“I cannot say I understand what is it like to be in that person’s position – where fishing is a livelihood. But the reality is that we want those fish (shad) to continue to feed fishermen forever, and that is why these measures have been put into place,” Porter said.
Some fishermen were under the impression that one fish that reproduced could feed many people.
Porter dispelled this notion and explained that if too many female fish were caught during spawning (when they discharge eggs into the water), this would negatively affect the fish stock. Similarly, if too many male fish were caught, it would affect the stock.
She said that shad in South Africa’s waters was different to shad elsewhere in the world.
“If we trash the stocks here, then it is gone.”
John Duncan, the senior manager of the World Wide Fund (WWF) SA marine programme, said shad was on the WWF orange (“think twice”) list.
This means that there are reasons for concern because the species is depleted as a result of over-fishing and cannot sustain current fishing pressure. Alternatively, the fishing or farming method poses harm to the environment, or the biology of the species makes it vulnerable to high fishing pressure.
Duncan said that shad stocks had shown a downward trend because people were not obeying the regulations.
“This is a challenge, especially when you are dealing with livelihood needs.”
He said that it was not unrealistic to say commercial and recreational catches of shad were smaller nowadays. This was because the stocks were reaching problematic low levels.
“The solution is to stop looking at the ocean as an open resource,” Duncan said.
Last week, Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife fishery control officers confiscated 48 illegally caught shad hidden in the dunes on Virginia Beach.
George Nair, the Conservation Manager at Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife, said the patrol teams knew what signs to look out for with illegal catches.
On inspection, they found the fish hidden at various locations along the dunes.
None of the fishermen who were present owned up to catching the the shad that were confiscated.
Nair said the fish would be “booked in” at a cold room facility as evidence. This would be registered under two categories – unknown seized items and seized items for criminal cases.
In the latter category, the perpetrator, if caught, would head for court. An admission of guilt fine could come to R5 000.
He said fishermen were also liable to pay fines of R500 for under-sized fish and R500 for each fish that exceeded the quota limit. Fishing without a permit carried a R1 000 fine.
“There have been many people who have been convicted,” said Nair.
“They would either serve about 30 days in jail, get suspended sentences, or they might have to do community service. It is left up to the magistrate.”
He said that another problem conservation management faced was that fishermen, eager to earn an income, caught more than the designated quota, which they sold to an available clientele.
“It is our aim to conserve our resources for future generations, who won’t be able to enjoy what we have. And we, meaning this generation, are responsible for conservation.”
l To report any illegal fishing activity, call 083 380 6298.