‘Curtains of Death’ destroying local fish populations
More than eight illegal gillnets were confiscated from the uMgeni River by Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife officers.
A TOTAL of ten gillnets were confiscated by Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife officers over just a two-day period last week. The nets, or ‘Curtains of Death’, as they have often been termed, were found in the uMgeni River, starting from Browns Drift Road extending as far as the Connaught Bridge. Basil Pather, conservation manager at Beachwood Mangroves Nature Reserve, said of late there had been an influx of marine poachers. A number of makeshift floating devices and paddles were also confiscated.
Pather said the nets, which could contain anything from 30 to 50 fish, including crabs and some bird life, were having a negative impact on wildlife on the river. The illegal gillnetters have been using the plethora of channels along the river to lay their traps. Unlike cast nets, which are thrown in the water by hand and capture fish inside the net’s mesh, gillnets are set out stationary in the water and capture the fish by entanglement.
Gill nets starve victims of oxygen
“The poachers set the gillnets at low tide and wait for the water levels to rise again. Fish then come back to the area and that’s when the ‘Curtains of Death’ kill marine species in their deadly embrace. Most often fish are gilled. A fish swims into a net and passes only part way through the mesh. When it struggles to free itself, the twine slips behind the gill cover and prevents escape.
“This had an adverse effect on the fish because the mangroves play a significant role as hatcheries and nurseries for marine life. The poachers don’t understand how this affects local fish populations. In the past we’ve found skeletons of birds, like cormorants, who are attracted to the sight of fish thrashing around. They end up getting trapped in the nets as well,” he explained.
Poachers use polystyrene pieces to float the nets across the river
Pather added the gillnetters used large polystyrene pieces as flotation devices and then fashion makeshift paddles using broomstick handles and pieces of plastic for the oar.
“People are flouting the law and blatantly abusing our natural resources for illegal gain. Gillnetting is extremely destructive and illegal. Being in possession of a gillnet is an offence in terms of the Marine Living Resources Act and you can be charged with a fine of R1 000. What is worse is the people using the gillnetter’s poverty to their advantage,” he said.
It is believed the large shoals of fish caught in each net are then sold to unscrupulous dealers who sell them in their shops as imports.
‘Shouting about Big 5, forgetting smaller species’
uMgeni Park resident, Clive Randall, and an ex Natal Parks Board member says he often sees gillnetters wading out in to the river to set their traps.
“Before long we are going to have a drowning. The canoeists that paddle the river can get tangled in the nets. It poses a danger to paddlers as well as species in the river. I’ve noticed some of these guys leave their nets in low tide, particularly near the Thames Place, Riverside Road intersection. We are all shouting about the endangerment to the big five but what about the species being targeted in the river,” he said.
