THE issue of illegal gill netting can no longer be ignored by the KZN government.
This as fish poaching has reached epidemic proportions in Richards Bay and Mtunzini since the disbandment of Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife coastal monitors,
These were the sentiments of members of the public and a variety of stakeholders who last week gathered to discuss the way forward.
‘We have been dealing with this issue for a long time, but when we were coastal monitors we could run operations and keep gill net poaching under control,’ said Phumla Zulu of Ezemvelo.
‘Numerous times we have called meetings with poachers and sellers, but we get threatened with our lives.
‘We’ve also been shot at while removing nets, and regularly receive death threats.’
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Disputing a member of the public’s sentiments that this is not poaching, but rather subsistence fishing carried out by poverty-stricken people who know no better, members of the Meerensee CPF anti-poaching unit said thousands of fish of all sizes are being pulled out on a weekly basis.
Their illegal catches are sold on a commercial scale in eSikhaleni, Brackenham and sometimes further afield.
Refrigerated trucks have been observed waiting to buy or receive catches.
There are also Facebook pages for online sales of their ill-gotten gains.
Education
Zulu said for years Ezemvelo conducted marine education at schools, in which learners were taught the value of fish stocks for the whole country and why poaching is illegal.
‘When are we going to say enough is enough?
‘We have put so much into educating, we now need to start prosecuting,’ she said.
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Representatives of the Department of Agriculture, Forestry & Fisheries (DAFF), and SAPS were notably absent.
Transnet representatives were also present, and spoke of the operations they have carried out, and their past successes.
In one instance, nine poachers’ boats and many kilometres of nets were confiscated during an operation.
Meerensee CPF anti-poaching group has also confiscated numerous boats and many nets with huge hauls.
In Umlalazi Estuary alone, Ezemvelo has reportedly removed almost 7 000m of gill nets since April last year.Additionally, the paddling and ski boat fraternity has removed about half this figure.
But, with no rights of arrest and no support from SAPS, the poachers they interrupt flee and return the following day.
‘When we apprehend suspected poachers, police officers tell us to let them go because they are not breaking the law,’ said one CPF member.
‘Even when a suspect’s vehicle was found with boats, nets and other poaching tools, and he was driving a non-roadworthy vehicle whose number plate doesn’t match the license disk, he was not arrested.’
Well-organised syndicate
Also contradicting the ‘subsistence fishing’ argument is the fact that the nets are brought in from Mozambique and are not cheap.
Some in the know have reported that a net measuring 100m costs R800, while others have reported figures of R3 000 for a 500m net.
One entrepreneur reportedly sells illegal nets openly in eSikhaleni.
Ann McDonnell, DA Spokesperson for Economic Development, Tourism and Environmental Affairs, whose colleague Henning de Wet organised the meeting, corroborated this and said the poaching is not small scale.
She said poaching is often linked to other crime rings, including prostitution and human trafficking.
‘The marine economy is a vital pillar of the province’s economic policy and I am going to take this to the highest level,’ she said.
‘The government’s Operation Phakisa is vital in protecting our country’s fish stocks.
‘If we give it away, everyone loses out.’
Richards Bay is unique in that there are many waterways, both inland and coastal, that need permanent monitoring.
Without permanent DAFF officers who are familiar with the terrain and marine life, there is not much hope of curbing poaching.McDonnell is set to fly to Cape Town to meet with DAFF and highlight this region’s poaching plight.
A plan of action to monitor the situation will be implemented,and records of all poaching incidents will be made and taken to parliament as evidence.
DAFF’s response had not been received at the time of going to press.
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