Recreational fishing has a long history in South Africa, and has become part of a culture amongst coastal communities along the length of the South African coastline.  At most of the popular beaches, one may see any number of fishermen trying their luck…but, is it luck or is it skill? Any “salted” fisherman along the Garden Route Coastline will know that galjoen, blacktail, musselcracker, white steenbras, spotted grunter, kabeljou, belman and elf are some of the most sought after species.

 

Common Name	Scientific Name
Galjoen	Dichistius capensis
Blacktail	Diplodus sargus capensis
Musselcracker	Sparadon durbanensis
White steenbras	Lithognathus lithognathus
Spotted Grunter	Pomadasys commersonnii
Kabeljou	Argyrosomus hololepidotus
Belman	Umbrina canarlensis
Elf	Pomatomus saltatrix

 

 

Unfortunately, “luck or skill” has resulted in these fish stocks steadily declining over the last 50 years, to a point where stocks are now being labelled as “collapsed”.  A number of reasons may be the cause for this.

 

1)      Fishermen have learnt where to catch fish. Over time, knowledge of where certain fish feed has been passed on from father to son. Fish will feed in specific habitats. For example, galjoen find most of their food in rocky gullies with turbulent waters whereas belman prefer sandbanks with rolling wave action.

 

2)      Fishermen have learnt when to catch fish. It’s well known that certain fish feed closer to the shore on the pushing tide.  Certain fish feed more actively at dawn and dusk, while others feed only in the day or only at night.

 

3)      Fishermen have learnt what fish eat.  Different baits are used for different fish, musselcracker feed mainly on shellfish or redbait, while elf and kabeljou prefer fish bait.  Fresher bait is also better than old frozen bait.

 

4)      Fishing tackle has improved - reels have smoother action due to ball bearings and have higher gear ratios.  Rods are now stronger and lighter than before and have interchangeable tips.  Monofilament line is thinner and stronger and one of the latest developments is braid that is ultra thin but super strong.  The combination of these factors allows fishermen to land fish more successfully.  Some advantages are that the fisherman’s reel carries more line thereby lessening the chance of being “spooled” and his rig can cast further thereby reaching habitats previously not reached with old equipment. Stiffer, stronger rods tire the fish quicker.

 

5)      A general increase in people has resulted in an increased demand for table fish.  This demand results in an increased pressure on all the fish stocks.

 

6)      Different fish species have quite different life cycles. White steenbras and musselcracker, for example, are very slow growing fish that can reach ages of 30 years and older.  These fish tend to take a number of years before reaching sexual maturity, and if killed too early, they may never breed another generation. To complicate matters further, some undergo a sex change at a certain stage in their life cycle.   

 

7)      It’s likely that the “good old days” were maybe too good, and that fish such as galjoen, musselcracker and white steenbras, to name a few, were harvested in such large quantities that it might take a cycle of 30 – 50 years for stocks to recover. 

 

8)      Illegal markets for fish caught in the recreational fishery exist countrywide. Despite public awareness drives, such as SASSI (SA Sustainable Seafood Initiative), consumers are still purchasing threatened and protected species at restaurants and fish shops.

 

It seems that these pressures combined have resulted in the recreational fishery playing a major role in the drop in numbers of certain fish species. One might argue that the recreational anglers’ catches are so low that it’s impossible to have an impact on stocks.  However, an important point to remember is that there are over 750 000 licensed recreational anglers in South Africa.  When adding up the combined effort, the impact becomes quite severe.

 

So, fishermen, make sure you have a fishing permit relevant to your activity, be it angling, bait collecting, spear fishing, etc. These are available at your nearest post office and must be carried with you on your fishing outings.  You can familiarise yourself with the regulations as set out by the Marine Living Resources Act, with regard to species size and bag limits, and always carry a tape measure with you when fishing.  Participate in the National Marine Line Fish Monitoring program co-ordinated by ORI by filling in catch cards after your outings. You could also try to gain some knowledge about the fish you may be targeting; you might find out that the fish you caught was older…or younger, than you thought.

 

Where you can get more information:

Contact: There are several Cape Nature offices that manage the Marine Protected Areas along the Garden Route. Try the following contact numbers:

Goukamma : 0443830042 Robberg: 0445332125

There should be a Marine Living Resources Pamphlet also available at your nearest post office

Books: Smiths Sea Fishes, M. Smith and P. Heemstra; Two Oceans, G.M. Branch, M.L. Branch, L.E. Beckley, C.L. Griffiths; Currents of Contrast, Thomas, P. Peschack; CoastCare Fact File

The Internet: Keyword search various words from the above article using Google

Scientific Paper Authors:  C.G. Attwood; P. Pradervant; S.E. Kerwath; A. Gotz; S.J. Lamberth; L.E. Beckley - Go to “Google Scholar” and type in the above mentioned authors names or keywords from this article.