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Baby whale dies in nets at Trafalgar

Trafalgar Whale caught in shark nets

Baby whale dies in nets at Trafalgar

Down in Trafalgar, we managed to get this photograph, and an interview with the lifeguard on that beach – Philan “WaveOfHope” Sikobi, who was amongst the many locals who found the whale. This was on Tuesday. He was chased out of the water by a shark, as the blood from the whale spilled down into the shorebreak. The baby whale was full of lacerations – the photo shows only what is left after the locals hacked the animal to pieces.

Shark net characteristis lacerations clearly visible on baby dead whale
Net characteristic lacerations clearly visible on baby dead whale. Philan could not take any other photos before the whale was cut up and retrieved by locals.

Sean: Hi Philan, what a story man, are you ok?

Philan: Yeah man it was scary. Stupid shark came in real close to me. Twice! It was the smell of blood. When they start cutting that whale up on the beach.

Sean: Was the whale bitten by sharks already when it came up the beach?

Philan: No, it looked fine excepting for the net wounds.

Sean: Philan, the photograph does not show much detail. You gonna have to describe the cuts and lacerations for us.

Philan: Well they were deep, right through, and very square in shape. But what’s confusing me is, the shark nets had been taken out of the water the day before. So the nets weren’t even in that morning. But you could see it was definitely a large net of some sort.

Sean: Was it alive when it hit the beach?

Philan: No it was pretty much dead.

Sean: What time was that?

Philan: Early morning.

Sean: Is there anything else, you could possibly imagine, that could have inflicted the lacerations as you saw them?

Philan: Well, I just don’t know what else? Must have been shark nets the day before or something like that?

And then on Wednesday, a whale was reportedly entangled with the shark nets at Illovo. I never knew anyone even swam or surfed at Illovo? Or why the nets were put back in? It’s the middle of the sardine season. with whales, dolphins and sharks patrolling up and down in search. The annual influx of meshers have been netting sardines up and down the KZN coast the entire past month?!

Some older incidents of whales in the nets…

And from Australia, some theory as to why this happens…

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3167629/Caught-napping-Whales-face-new-deadly-threat-shark-nets-tangled-nod-swimming-long-winter-migration.html

Unbelievably, the Australians also use shark nets…this from three weeks ago…

http://www.mygc.com.au/baby-whale-dies-mum-bub-get-stuck-shark-nets-gold-coast/

With so many technological options on offer to the Kwazulu Natal Sharks Board, why is it, that they forego these less invasive and harmful methods, and to choose to use gill nets. The Australian Government have started alernatives installations with fantastic results.

Gill nets operate 24/7 (Who needs protection from sharks at night time?), and kill indiscriminately, with a massive by-catch. Dolphins (the most I ever seen in one NSB land cruiser was 6), whales, turtles, rays, harmless sharks, gamefish, birds…

By installing sonar at the beach (read previous article here), which only operates when people are actually surfing or swimming, and by equipping ocean users with Shark Shields – the savings would be immense. Financially. The Kwazulu Natal Sharks Board are spending R80 million or more per year killing sharks?! It would be a fraction of that to buy Shark Shields for every beach – give them to the lifeguards to rent to the public.

But it’s the savings to the environment we are really after.

We just cannot let this continue one more day!

Shark nets out!

NOTE: well that was five years ago and there are still shark nets in the water?!

The Sardine News and the Master Watermen are published by TLC for your Business.

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FishBazaruto.com is taking Bazaruto 2018 bookings now!

Chaaaaaarge! (c) Duarte Rato

FishBazaruto.com is taking Bazaruto 2018 bookings now!

FishBazaruto.com is taking Bazaruto 2018 bookings now! After another incredible year fishing the waters around the Bazaruto Archipilego, Captain Duarte Rato has opened his booking calendar up for 2018.

Bazaruto 2018 bookings are now open at FishBazaruto. Click to go to the PDF download http://fishbazaruto.com/rates-contact/
Bazaruto 2018 bookings are now open at FishBazaruto. Click to go to the PDF download http://fishbazaruto.com/rates-contact/

Duarte has also opened up the spread with many more options for you to choose from. From the really big and comfort laden Supercat 38’s, to this year Duarte has worked hard on getting smaller boat packages together, that are real affordable. He has broadened his accommodation offerings too.

Vilankulos, where FishBazaruto operates from, is really quite a drive for anybody convinced on taking their own boat all that way up north. And fishing with Duarte and his decades of experience really puts you in right on the action.

Sunrise overlooking the Bazaruto Archipelego
Sunrise overlooking the Bazaruto Archipelego

You get to enjoy the Archipilego thoroughly, with Duarte and crew relating historical, geographical and all things fishing regards this most interesting area, and country. All of Duarte’s team really know the place super well, and are first class pros, in big game fishing – and making sure you have a great day out.

 

Now here’s the thing. 1000 Pounds. The grander. The big momma. She is there. And up for a fight. Black and blue marlin. You can actually choose which to hunt. The bad tempered stripeys also make their rodeo appearances, as do shoals and shoals of willing sailfish. Some big ones, even going over 50!

A few pics from the old days…where release wasn’t as compulsory, as it is nowadays…

Monty Smith and his 1000 pounder caught off Bazaruto in the 70's. These waters are really hardly fished much, compared to anywhere else in the world. It is still wild out there! (c) Bazaruto 2018

The increasing mean size of yellowfin tuna being encountered inshore has rapidly increased lately in KZN waters. They even got a 48 off Durban?! But last season, Duarte shocked everyone with a 72 off the island! Luckily it grabbed ahold of a kona rigged on an 80, and it came home before those dumb sharks got it!

The 72kg yellowfin tuna that has gotten everyone very excited. There were a whole shoal of these things when luckily they hooked up on just this one, and got it out!
The 72kg yellowfin tuna that has gotten everyone very excited. There were a whole shoal of these things when luckily they hooked up on just this one, and got it out!

And that’s another thing about fishing Baz. It’s wild. Really wild. You might even encounter a dugong. Or a whale shark. A friendly school of dolphins. All sorts of whales. Even orcas.

Fishing out the back of Bazaruto Island gets you in the hot seat for a marlin on plastic, or a 10kg yellowfin to rig and try keep out of trouble until a marley comes along. Wahoo are real mean as they knock the sense out of any live bait rigged that weighs less than 10. The wahoo are huge. And if it ain’t the wahoo, you also have to watch for goliath GT’s that also love to swallow a bonito whole. And then there are the sharks. Nuff said. So back to plastics and hope for that huge big and loud strike.

Seeing these huge fish come charging into the wake at blurry speeds, smashing into a kona, pulling line and then leaping and greyhounding away is what every angler should experience. It’s diabolical. It’s insane. It’s something you need to see and absorb. The power. The grace. The magnificense of it all.

Big black performing off Sailfish Bay, Bazaruto (c) Duarte RatoDave Charley hauls while Muki looks on...(c) Duarte Rato58kg Sailfish (c) Duarte RatoChaaaaaarge! (c) Duarte Rato(c) Duarte RatoDuarte's Weapons of choice for Bazaruto 2018 season

In bad weather, Bazaruto waters hold another ace. The channels between the islands are clear and deep, and in the completely flat water. Wave action out to sea, and island either side of you, and you can catch king mackerel, sailfish, Natal Snoek – until you are blue. On spinning tackle! Too much fun. And we do end up fishing in these highly technical fishing areas quite a lot. Knowing where and when to find the hot spots and times, is all the fun! There are very many places where, if you pay your 500 Met park fees, you can walk and spin fish for all sorts from kingfish to rock salmon.

Right, there you have it. I could add the islands themselves, the unreal snorkeling in the lukewarm crystal palace water, the palm trees and coconuts, the delightful and unspoilt wetlands and river, the quaint little party town of Vilankulos that recently welcomed Sylvester Stallone, Jeremy Clarkson and his little mate…and back in the days…The Kennedys, Bob Dylan, Mick Jagger and host of other stars. The Donna Anna, the hotel in which they partied, which has been restored to a level of glory, and yes you’ll go there too!

You can get the ball rolling and get in touch with the team at FishBazaruto at his website link below:

http://fishbazaruto.com

You can go directly to the Rate Card PDF download page here:

Rates & Contact Fishbazaruto

Bazaruto 2018 Rates and Contact

 

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DAFF removes illegal drive-by fish market at Hibberdene quickly and effectively

DAFF Contact Details

DAFF removes illegal drive-by fish market at Hibberdene quickly and effectively

It never took a day. Following procedure, we called the Senior Marine Inspector for DAFF, Mr. Bongani Pitoyi, to alert DAFF of the illegal (and dangerous) highway fish market in Hibberdene. There were literally a hundred of these poachers. Scattered all around the N2 and R102 interchange. Bunches of crayfish. And none of the shad were looking legal sized at all.

We had made a late call to Bongani, we were on our way home after a long day of sardine patrol. And so the very next morning we set out, nice on early, back on our beat. They were gone! None left. We verified this the next day. And the next.

But if we had not called Bongani up, they would still have been there. And this is the thing. DAFF are really understaffed. Spread thinly over hundreds of kilometres of coastline zones. They cannot afford, or do not have the means, to be everywhere at once. Even Ezimvelo could’nt do that.

But we can. In our individual capacities, all armed with cellphone cameras – we can form the network required for DAFF to do it’s job effectively.

In Umkomaas, the good guys there that patrol the Umkomaas Estuary system and surrounding rivers, (Emil Pirzenthal and George Snodey are ring leaders), work with DAFF and the police to continually fight the war on nets going on there right now. Nets are somehow getting down the KZN coast and wreaking untold havoc on our already maimed estuaries. Without these guys being activists, thousands upon thousands more fish would have been killed. For the angler in you, the Oxe-Eye Tarpon, a coveted and rare catch for any sportfisher, were discovered in the nets. Some were rescued, many not. But get on down to the Umkomaas with your fly-rod, and keep an eye out for suspicious activity at the same time.

This is the point. We are everywhere, all the time.

Just as Apple iPhones all have built in barometers, and can feed weather data back to a server for processing in real time – we can feed back poacher data to DAFF. They can then direct resources to the particular problem, as they did in Hibberdene, and sort the problem out.

Complaining and whining about how many shad were destroyed this year, carried off the beach in buckets, is not going to help.

If you witness such a travesty, call the team at DAFF!

DAFF Contact Details

  •  The DAFF vessel operating in our area – The Ruth First, is usually off the Transkei. Their number is 079 773 6514 and Inspector Teyise is on board right now. These are the crew to report suspicious fishing vessel activity to
  • Our contact, Senior Marine Conservation Inspector Mr. Bongani Pitoyi is on 071 765 2533, and is extremely helpful and effective on all matters big and small
  • Another number you can call is Deputy Director Mr Moshani on 076 780 5049

Read about Trawler Watch here.

As a tailend, we would just like to highlight the fact that not one person has called in a suspicious trawler, since Robbie van Wijk nailed one off Mdumbi two whole months ago. Perhaps the presence of the Ruth First and the Sarah Baardman has actually kept the foreign plunderers away. And that is why we are getting sardines through this year, all the way to Durban? Thanks to Robbie! Our devout and deep undercover sardine spy way down in Mdumbi. And DAFF of course.

Could be.

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How do our Scomber Japonicus (our KZN mackerel), end up in cans?

How do our Scomber Japonicus (our KZN mackerel), end up in cans?

It’s been a while since I stopped buying tinned fish. It took a great deal to get me to stop. I mean, tinned tuna is off the charts delicious! And sardines! Eish – the basis of so many quick and easy and scrumptious meals! Convenience in a can. And it’s fish! SO good for you…

But not good for anyone else. Or the ocean. Or the tuna. Or the sardines. Just you, or me, in that moment of sheer ignorance and bliss, as we savour the flavour of the oil soaked and smoked tuna. Perfect every time.

We have to pop that bubble.

My folks are away, and so looking after the Umzimkulu Marina, I cleared out one of the chalets. And there it was…a tin of mackerel!

Bowled me over. Now what?! Mackerel are beyond delicious, and so very good for you. But no ways am I opening that can. So I take it, mull it over in my hands, and read the species of mackerel, and how it was caught…

70% Mackerel (Scomber Japonicus) Water, salt. Method of Capture: Trawl.

?!?!?!?!

So, I pop onto Wikipedia and type in Scomber Japonicus, and click on distribution…

“Chub mackerel are widespread in the Indo-Pacific. They are absent from the Indian Ocean except for South Africa from KwaZulu-Natal to Western Cape, and are replaced by the closely related Atlantic chub mackerel in the Atlantic. The chub mackerel is widely distributed, usually found in the northwestern, southeastern, and northeastern Pacific. In the eastern Pacific, it can be found from central Mexico to southeastern Alaska. Chub mackerel are generally found within 20 miles (37 km) off the coast in waters between 50 and 72°F (10 to 22°C). Young mackerel live around sandy beaches or kelp beds, while adults are found in deeper waters in shallow banks to 1000 feet (300 m) deep. Chub mackerel school with other pelagic species, as well such as other types of mackerels and sardines.”

Read all about the Chub Mackerel here…https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chub_mackerel#Distribution

So these tinned mackerel, could well have come right from our own coast! Trawled?! The most indiscriminate and destructive fishing method.

We will never know, unless someone tells the truth, but here is a possible scenario.

Trawlers are out there trawling, right now. Legal and illegal. Some have their AIS on, some don’t. The Sarah Baardman is out there, working her beat. And the Ruth First (with marine inspectors on board). None the wiser. The mackerel, the same species in my tin, are being caught. They are being processed somewhere. Into cans. And are winding up on the shelves of our very own local supermarkets. A few hundred metres from where you can catch them yourself?!

And the can says…Product of China, on the label?!

STOP BUYING TINNED FISH!

It’s what fuels the trawlers.

Please see how to report suspicious activities here…

https://thesardine.co.za/2017/07/17/trawler-watch-2017-reporting-procedure/

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Cooking waves at Saint Michaels today this 18 July 2017

Saint Michaels today this 18 July 2017 (c) Jay Steenkamp

Cooking waves at Saint Michaels today this 18 July 2017

There are cooking waves at Saint Michaels today this 18 July 2017, as the attached super photo by undercover sardine spy Jay Steenkamp, shows. Jay has no sardine news to report, but these big swells and cold conditions are pre-requisites and precursors to their hopeful arrival.

Some other cool pics submitted lately, that portray south coast, living this time of the year…

Saint Michaels today this 18 July 2017 (c) Jay SteenkampSaints at 5:15am...Dustan van Biljon having a blast with some estuary spinning in KZN NatalL Viljoen was the skilled angler who wrestled the magnificent yellowfin tuna to the boatLegal limit of Shad caught by Matt Wainwright at AnsteysGarrick season is upon us...time to exercise some restraint as National Garrick Day loomsThe Umzimkulu Marina in Port Shepstone. Self catering dream fishing location.

Come and enjoy the sunny (well most days!) south coast of KZN Natal, with the team at The Umzimkulu Marina. Check out their website and get in touch here http://umzimkulu.co.za

For more information on the annual sardine run, click here for a listing of all recent 2107 reports…

https://thesardine.co.za/?s=sardine+run+2017

And a cool video clip from Offshore Africa in Port St. Johns, showing yet another baitball down south on The Wild Coast…


 

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