With shad on the bite, some fishermen have been observed taking more than the legal limit.
This resulted in the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE) being alerted, which is now keeping a close eye on fishermen on the mid-South Coast.
They were in Umkomaas last week, checking fishing permits and ensuring people stick to the legal limit.
While questioning one of the fishermen, a bystander approached the department members and recorded the interaction (which has since gone viral), asking them why they were questioning a fisherman but turning a blind eye to those selling fish and crayfish on the roadside.
The department was contacted for comment on the video. They stated that officials from the Monitoring, Control and Surveillance Chief Directorate within the Fisheries Management branch had attended to a complaint about excessive fishing of shad by recreational fishermen, and possible exceeding of their daily bag limits of four fish per day.
“A report from the officials indicates that on July 10, they inspected 21 recreational fishing permits. In addition, the officials also found some fish concealed in the sand,” said Peter Mbelengwa from DFFE.
He added that some individuals on the beach alleged that they were not fishing but accompanying their fishermen friends.
“Officials accompanied some fishermen to their vehicles as some had indicated that their permits were there. As officials were completing the inspection forms recording the permits inspected, an unknown man started making a video and making all sorts of comments. When the officials concluded with their duties, they proceeded to the nearest police station to register the 13 shad found as abandoned on the beach.”
When asked about the crayfish matter, the department stated that in terms of regulations, the holder of a recreational East Coast rock lobster permit is allowed to catch eight per day. No fishing or collecting of East Coast rock lobster is allowed during the closed season from November 1 to the last day of February the following year.
In terms of Regulation 22(1) the selling of any fish caught via a recreational fishing permit is prohibited.
John Peter Narayanasamy, the Chairman of the KZN Subsistence Fisherfolk Forum (KZNSFF), gave his input on the current fishing situation and stated that as much as the forum raises awareness on compliance, it is also sad to see that some fishermen are catching more than their required quotas.
Furthermore, he stressed that one must abide by the rules and regulations imposed by the department.
“With the high rate of unemployment and many living below the poverty line, our subsistence fisherfolk are reliant on fishing. However, those who do catch more than their bag limit do so at their own risk.
“We are in talks with the department calling for a review of the quotas which were imposed for over five decades. We are questioning as to why shad, in particular, has no bag limits in the Western and Eastern Cape, which is referred to as elf.”
“If you read the South African Association for Marine and Biological Research website, it is mentioned that the shad species migrates from the Eastern Cape to KZN waters during the winter months. These fish come in abundance and spawn in the KZN waters.”
“Each female can lay between one to two million eggs. These fish are not found throughout the year, they are abundant in the winter months but can gradually fade away by mid December. Yet there is a two month (October and November) closed season for this species, whereby you are not allowed to catch or be in possession of a shad.”
He does not personally think the bag limits are being exceeded “for fun”, but rather out of desperation to survive.
On the topic of overfishing, as per DFFE, South Africa’s managed fishing stocks are very diverse including seaweeds, mussels, sardines, some shark species, rock lobsters, and many more. Not all of these stocks are overfished. Fifty one (66%) out of a total of 77 stocks were of no concern in 2023.
However, 26 stocks are of concern, meaning they are depleted or heavily depleted. This depletion is attributed, among other factors, to high fishing pressure, both legal and illegal. Examples of overfished stocks include shad, West Coast rock lobster, southern bluefin tuna, some shark species and abalone.
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