Richards Bay poachers down but not out
Six gillnets, each 600m long were recovered from the Bay Hall area
THE relentless pursuit of illegal gillnetters in the harbour and recreational areas of Richards Bay continues, with another success logged last week.
‘We encountered two poacher boats at around 11pm last Monday night, but they paddled furiously and managed to beach their boats and flee into the bush,’ said one North Coast Anti-Poaching Group volunteer.
ALSO READ: December stats from the Port of Richards Bay
‘However, we were able to confiscate the boats and six gillnets, each about 600m long, in the Bay Hall area.’
He said that, while they managed to free 94 fish, 107 had already perished, among them rock salmon and grunter.
The latest haul indicates that the many raids, while succeeding in burning boats and impounding gear, are hardly denting the poaching activities that are devastating fish stocks in the port nursery area.
‘There is no doubt that this is not hungry subsistence fishermen looking for a meal; this is commercial fish harvesting on a massive scale,’ said the NCAP member.
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