A Foreign Fishing Fleet Gathers Before Sardine Run 2024
A Foreign Fishing Fleet Gathers before Sardine Run 2024: it’s not all good news here at The Sardine News. An armada of foreign and unidentifiable fishing boats has been gathering just outside our internationally recognised waters. And slap bang in the middle of the sardine migratory path.
Hundreds of them.
AIS Identification
These vessels are all however still sporting their AIS transponders (the law) as they try to secret about in keen anticipation of robbing the natural resource from right out under our noses.
Some of the boats are identifiable on the AIS system. But about 95 % are labelled grey. Which means we don’t know where they come from. And it’s too far to send a boat to go and take a look. Hundreds of Nautical Miles out.
Please take a close look at the situation by following the link below. It will open in a new window. You can look about and become familiar with the extent of the problems both the sardines and we are facing.
MarineTraffic: Global Ship Tracking Intelligence | AIS Marine Traffic
The plate below is zoomed right in over the area where about half the mystery fleet are milling about. In some kind of pattern or formation. We can only hope that they are not catching all the sardines already!
Aerial Surveillance
This is the only way we will ever document the fishing as evidence and move to do something about it. If the Chinese or any other foreign fishing fleet is damaging our economy and tourism industry by robbing us of this resource, then we best do something about it. The days of being complacent and relying on the government ended in the mid-90s. The ANC has no will to achieve anything except maximise profits through Luthuli House and its business puppets.
For all we know right now, these particular powers that – be could be fully aware of this fleet gathering at the moment. And they could be sanctioning, and profiting from it. We will not know unless we find out ourselves.
We then need to lobby until we find the right person. And then help that person to do the job. This is the only way it works these days. Any assistance would be appreciated! Please send information to Sean on umzimkulu@gmail.com if you have something to contribute to the mission. There used to be sardine runs all around the UK. Ireland. Scotland. There are none there now.
My gut feel is that because it is all happening outside our internationally recognised waters, it’s open season on the poor sards. Unless we can use international law to stop the depletion of this resource. By arguing that the value of the sardines to our tourism industry, far outweighs the value that these foreign ships will get by killing the whole lot. Any potential PHDs interested? Probably not.
Dreams are free. And so are the nightmares in between…
“NEVA buy SARDS in a CAN! You are supporting the demise of your very own sardine run if you do this. Tuna too. Don’t do it. ” – Xonalanga (Editor)
Affiliated YouTube Channels
https://youtube.com/@Brucifire – entertaining surf reporting
https://youtube.com/@thesardinenews – neva miss out
https://youtube.com/@mydotackletalk – highly technical sport fishing
https://youtube.com/@surflaunchingsouthernafrica – getting out there safely
https://youtube.com/@waterwoes – complain here
Affiliated websites
https://umzimkulu.co.za – self-catering right on the Umzimkulu River
https://umzimkuluadrenalin.co.za – sardine run coming up
https://thesardine.co.za – never miss a single sardine
https://masterwatermen.co.za – news from deep down
https://brucifire.co.za – surf and conditions reporting
https://fishbazaruto.com – your dreams are out there
https://mydofishinglures.co.za – technical sport fishing
