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Good fishing at Hibberdene continues…

Good fishing at Hibberdene continues…

Shad and garrick created all the buzz on Hibberdene Beach this weekend…many fish came out. With the season fast coming to a close (1st October), the shad, were coming out by the hundreds…and the large crowds of fishermen making it difficult for the Ezemvelo guys to keep up. Many anglers could be seen flaunting the law. Which is: 4 fish per person. With a license!

The law is there to protect the marine resource that we all take so much out of…don’t be part of the problem, be part of the solution. Obey the restrictions!

Below is taken from KZN Wildlife…penned up by JayWay…you could also go to their website and check it all out more comprehensively.

“Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife would like to advise all recreational anglers that the long awaited changes to the recreational fishing regulations have now been promulgated in terms of Government Gazette No 27453.

These new regulations apply to recreational shore based and ski boat fisherman and affect the bag and size limits of certain fish species that may be caught.

Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife will be producing and distributing awareness pamphlets highlighting these changes, in an effort to assist anglers with understanding and interpreting these new regulations.

Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife staff will be enforcing these new regulations with immediate effect and appeals to all anglers to familiarize themselves with these new regulations. While every effort will be given by staff to assist anglers, the onus will be on the individuals to ensure that they abide by these new laws.

The promulgation of these regulations were deemed necessary by the then Minister of Environmental Affairs and Tourism , Mr Valli Moosa, who declared an emergency in the linefish sector. This was done in accordance with section 16 of the Marine Living Resources Act, which allows the Minister to invoke emergency measures to rebuild fish stocks.

Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife welcomes these new regulations, as they are designed to afford protection to our dwindling marine resources while ensuring equal and long term usage by all.”

New Recreational Line Fish Regulations / Gov Gazette No 27453 6th April 2005
Quick Reference

Changes

Categories Changed – There are only two species categories that apply to the recreational line fisherman. These are:

  1. Prohibited Category – May not fish for, be in possession of, or sell the following:
    • Basking shark (new inclusion)
    • Brindle bass
    • Coelacanth (new inclusion)
    • Great white shark
    • Natal wrasse
    • Pipe fish & Seahorses (new inclusion)
    • Potato bass
    • Sawfishes
    • Seventy four
    • Whale shark (new inclusion)
  2. Permitted Category Annexure 7 ( Recreational Fishing) – May fish for and be in possession of subject to bag limits, size limits and closed seasons. MAY NOT SELL CATCH
  • See species category Annexure 7 (Government Gazette No 27453 6th April 2005)

Daily Bag Limits Changed:

  • 10 species per person per day irrespective of species caught. (applies to Shore & Boat anglers)
  • Annexure 7 Species that are not listed fall under the 10 bag limit.
  • Listed Species that have a bag limit of over 10 do not apply to this daily bag limit. (Mullet x50)

Bag limits – Following species have had their bag limits changed:

Important: Kob caught from a boat at sea in KZN – 5 per person per day of which 4 or all 5 can be between 40 – 110 cm’s & 1 only may be over 110cm’s

Kob caught from the shore & estuaries East of Cape Agulas ( applies to KZN) – 1 per person per day. 60cm’s

Shad – 4 per person per day in open season (1st December – 30th September)

  • Rays, Sharks & Skates (Carteligenouse fish) – 1 specimen per species per person per day.
  • Yellowbelly rockcod – 1 per person per day.
  • Kob caught from boat in KZN – 5 per person per day of which 4 or all 5 can be between 40 – 110 cm’s & 1 may be over 110cm’s
  • Kob caught from estuaries and shore – East Cape Agulhas (applies to KZN) 1 per person per day 60cm’s
  • Soldier (santer) – 5 per person per day.
  • Galjoen – 2 per person per day.
  • Bronze bream – 2 per person per day.
  • Garrick – 2 per person per day.
  • Shad – 4 per person per day.
  • West coast steenbras – 1 per person per day.
  • Carpenter (silver fish) – 4 per person per day.
  • Geelbek – 2 per person per day.
  • Poenskop – 1 per person per day.
  • Red steenbras – 1 per person per day.
  • Dageraad – 1 per person per day.
  • Englishmen – 1 per person per day.
  • Red stumpnose – 1 per person per day.
  • Roman – 2 per person per day.
  • Scotsman – 1 per person per day.
  • White mussel cracker – 2 per person per day.
  • White steenbras – 2 per person per day.

Bag Limits Introduced – The following species are no longer unlimited. Have now had bag limits imposed:

  • Mullet – 50 per person per day.
  • Pinky – 10 per person per day.
  • Karanteen – 10 per person per day.
  • Steentjie – 10 per person per day.
  • Fransmadam – 10 per person per day.

Size Limits

Important:

Kob caught from a boat in KZN – you may only be in possession of 4 between 40cm’s – 110cms & 1 of over 110cm’s / Total bag limit 5 or you may have all 5 between 40cm’s – 110cm’s .

Kob caught from the shore or estuary East Cape Agulas (applies to KZN) – you may only be in possession of 1 of 60cm’s or over

Size Limits Increased – The following species size limits have increased:

  • Red steenbras – 60 cm’s
  • Dageraad – 40cm’s
  • Scotsman – 40cm’s
  • West coast steenbras – 60cm’s
  • Carpenter (silver fish) – 35cm’s
  • Yellowbelly rock cod – 60cm’s
  • Catface (Spotted rock cod) – 50cm’s
  • Kob caught from shore & estuaries East of Cape Agulas (applies to KZN) – 60cm’s x 1 per person per day

Size Limits Introduced – Following species now have size limits imposed:

  • Englishmen – 40cm’s

Closed Seasons Changed– Following species have had there closed seasons changed:

  • Shad – Reduced by 1 month (1st October – 30th November)

Species Not Listed On Permitted Species List Annexure 7

  • Rock cods not listed on the permitted species list have a bag limit of 5 per species per day.(Can not be over and above total daily bag limit of 10 species)
  • All other species not listed have no size limit, but form part of the daily bag limit of 10
    Basking Shark
    Brindle Bass
    Coelacanth
    Great White Shark
    Natal Wrasse
    Pipefish and Sea Horses
    Potato Bass
    Sawfishes
    Seventy Four
    Whale Shark

     

    Anchovies None None
    Baardman(tasslefish, bellman) 40cm 5
    Banded Galjoen None 5
    Bill Fish(marlin, sailfish) None 5
    Blacktail 20cm 5
    Blue Hottentot None 5
    Bronze Bream 30cm 2
    Cape knifejaw None 5
    Cape Stumpnose 20cm 5
    Carpenter(silverfish) 35cm 4
    catfish Rockcod 50cm 5
    Chub Mackerel None None
    Cutlassfish(walla walla) None None
    Dageraad 40cm 1
    Dane None 5
    Englishman 40cm 1
    Fransmadam None 10
    Galjoen 35cm 2/closed season
    15 October-end February
    Garfishes None None
    Garrick(leerfis) 70cm 2
    Geelbek(cape salmon 60cm 2
    Glassies None None
    Hake None 5
    Halfbeaks None None
    Horse Mackerel(maasbanker) None None
    Hottentot 22cm 10
    John Brown None 5
    Kingfishes None 5
    kingklip None 1
    King Mackerel None 10
    Kob caught from a boat
    at sea(Cape Agulhas to Umtamvuna)
    50cm 5 but may only be in possession of one
    Kob greater than 110cm per day
    Kob caught from a boat
    at sea(KwaZulu-Natal)
    40cm 5 but may only be in possession of one
    Kob greater than 110cm per day
    Kob caught in estuaries and and
    from the shore(east of Cape Agulhas)
    60cm 1
    Kob caught in estuaries and
    from shore(west of Cape Agulhas)
    50cm 5
    Karanteen 15cm 10
    large Spot Pompano(wave garrick) None) 5
    Leopard Cat Shark None 1
    Mullets None 50
    Natal Knifejaw(cuckoo bass) None 5
    Natal Stumpnose(yellow bream) 25cm 5
    Pinky 7.5cm 10
    Poenskop(black mussel cracker) 50cm 1
    Queen Mackerel None 10
    Ragged Tooth Shark None 1
    Red steenbras(copper steenbras) 60cm 1 closed season 1 October-30 November
    Red Stumpnose(miss lucy) 30cm 1
    River bream(perch) 25cm 5
    River Snapper(rock salmon) 40cm 5
    Roman 30cm 2
    Soldier(santer) 30cm 5
    Shad(elf) 30cm 4 closed season1 October-30 November
    Sardines(pilchards and Red Eye) None None
    Sauries None None
    Scads None None
    Scotsman 40cm 1
    Slinger 25cm 5
    Snoek(Cape snoek) 60cm 10
    Southern Pompano none 5
    Spotted Grunter 40cm 5
    Spotted Gully Shark None 1
    Springer None 5
    Steenjie None 10
    Stonebream None 5
    Striped Cat Shark None 1
    Swordfish(broadbill) 25kg 5
    Squid(chokka) None 20
    Tunas(tunny None 10
    Albacore(longfin tuna) none 10
    Bigeye tuna 3.2kg 10
    Bluefin Tuna 6.4kg 10
    Yellowfin Tuna 3.2kg 10
    West Coast Steenbras 60cm 1
    White edge Rockcod(captain fine) 40cm 5
    White musselcracker(brusher, cracker) 60cm 2
    White Steenbras(pignose grunter) 60cm 1
    White Stumpnose 25cm 10
    Wolfherring None None
    Yellowbelly Rockcod 60cm 1
    Yellowtail None 10
    Zebra 30cm 5

MARINE RECREATIONAL FISHING GENERAL REGULATIONS

  1. No person shall, except on authority of a recreational permit obtainable from the South African Postal Services, engage in recreational fishing.
  2. No person shall sell, barter or trade any fish caught through recreational fishing.
  3. No recreational fishing permit is transferable from one person to another.
  4. A persona of a recreational permit shall not use any artificial breathing apparatus, other that a snorkel.
  5. No person shall, engage in fishing, collect or disturb any fish by means of a gaff, club, flail, stick, stone or similar implement.
  6. No person shall engage in fishing, except for octopus, cuttlefish or squid, by the jerking of a hook or jig in the sea jigging), with the intention of impaling the fish thereon.
  7. No person shall engage in the fishing, collection or disturbing of any fish with a speargun in a tidal river or tidal lagoon.
  8. No person shall use any cast net for fishing from sunset to sunrise.
  9. No person shall disturb, catch, kill or be in possession of any dolphin or any part or product derived thereof.
  10. No person shall, except with the authority of a permit, disturb, catch or kill any whales at any time, or approach closer than 300 m to a whale.
  11. No person shall, except with the authority of a permit, attract by using bait or any other means, any great white shark, or catch, attempt to catch, kill or attempt to kill any great white shark, or purchase, sell or offer for sale any part or product derived thereof.
  12. No person shall, except with the authority of a permit, damage, uproot, collect or land or attempt to damage, uproot, collect or land any live or dead coral.
  13. No person shall, except with the authority of a permit, engage in fishing, collecting or disturbing any live or empty pansy shell.
  14. No person shall, except with the authority of a permit, engage in fishing, collecting or removing any aquatic plants, except for own use and in quantities not exceeding 10 kg aquatic plants, however, 1 kg dead shells or 50 kg shellgrit per day is permitted without a permit.
  15. No person shall, except with the authority of a permit, damage, pick, uproot, collect or land or attempt to damage, pick, uproot, collect or land any live or dead sea fans or sea pens.
  16. No person shall, without a permit issued by the Director-General, culture any marine organisms.
  17. No person shall, except with the authority of a permit, catch any fish or collect any aquatic plants for commercial purposes.

For more information phone: (021) 402-3911 or consult the Amended Regulations (R24 of 14 January 2000) in terms of the Marine Living Resources Act, 1998

 

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Garrick for Carl Gouws at Seapark

Swimming in the backline with Craig Sinclair, and all of a sudden surrounded by hunting dolphins and garrick…Carl banged his first of the season.
That’s about the 10th fish we’ve heard of so far! They could teach the sardines a lesson or two in punctuality.
They were spearfishing on the backline at Seapark, a really good spot for garrick and daga salmon, and of course shad.
So the dolphins paid a visit and the whales were whaling out back.
But no sardines…
Nice fish Carl!

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Giant Shad at Chakas Rock – South Coast KZN

Marc Lange Shad 8kg

Giant Shad at Chakas Rock – South Coast KZN

Marc Lange and Pierre de Villers (Cape Town) swam out together at Chakas Rock in Umtentweni this morning.  The excitement in Marc’s call about the shad he just shot didn’t really give us a clue as to it’s sheer size. Almost couldn’t look at it when he hauled it out of the car! 8.7kg’s! Thought it was a garrick!

It’s going to be an unofficial record though as Marc is not a member of the relevant association. Details of the current official record: H. Schifflers  | 7.9kg Elf | Mzikaba | 1980

Marc Lange Shad 8kg Giant Shad shot at Chakas Rock on the KZN Lower South Coast
Giant Shad shot at Chakas Rock on the KZN Lower South Coast

Pierre shot two nice Baardman, and Marc also bagged a tasty little Queen Mackeral…they saw a shoal of kob / daga salmon…it’s not often the water is clean enough to dive the Chakas area…talk about making the most of it!

Marc-Lange-unofficial-SA-Record-Shad
Marc-Lange-unofficial-SA-Record-Shad

 

Marc-Lange-and-Pierre-de-Villiers-8.7kg-Shad
Marc-Lange-and-Pierre-de-Villiers-8.7kg-Shad

The shad had a karanteen trace hanging out of it’s mouth and was one in a whole shoal of giant shad like this one. Imagine the guy who was fishing for kara’s when this beast took his bait!

For more information on catching shad on the South Coast, buzz Sean on umzimkulu@gmail.com.

Or check out https://thesardine.co.za/mydo/ to read all about catching shad.

 

 

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Shad / Elf : Protected Species? by Robin Flood

Shad in False Bay
Shad in False Bay

 

On Saturday 09/02/2013, the Arendse Netters did a ‘trek’ at Strandfontein, Cape Town. What they did was haul a massive load of Elf/Shad… and Cob. They use an old white Isuzu bakkie to load the fish to transport and to launch their boat. Joining them happened to be another bakkie, I am told owned by ‘Aziz’, a fish broker, who supplies fish to Gauteng. They filled up the Arendse’s bakkie with all the legal sized fish and this ‘Aziz’ took the smaller and undersized fish. They are using a loophole in the law, as I am told that the title holder (Arendse) did nothing wrong and cannot be charged. So, basically, Aziz could be fined if he was caught, but the Arendse’s license is protected. Obviously ‘Aziz’ would have rewarded Arendse for all the undersized fish! Arendse could have just kept the lot for himself, it would have been the same result. If they get away with this, then what is the point of size limits on fish? These Seine netters should be held responsible for the content of their nets. Clearly, they are selling off the smaller fish and allowing someone else to take the risk.
And we wonder why people don’t like the Seine Netters and want to see them gone forever.
The very day that no inspectors were there (Saturday), they raped the beach. Attached are some pics. In the one, you can see a very small cob in the middle on the back of a bakkie. This is why they should not be allowed to do what they do. If they had respect for the ocean, they would never have a second bakkie running the ‘hot’ merchandise out of there. Besides, I also have it on good authority that the manner in which the few fish that were returned were put back, was absolutely nauseating. They were treated like yesterday’s garbage and just hurled toward the water.
I know a marine lawyer that is close to these netters (and was in contact with this exact netter today regarding this) has implied that since the netter never took the undersized fish himself, there is nothing anyone can do.
How much longer will this go on? Are we not beyond this archaic form of fishing? Clearly this netter has no regard for law or nature.  What entitles him to have a commercial fishing license when this kind of abuse is so blatant. Here are the photo’s, there were witnesses, what more must we as South African citizens do to protect our marine resources?
Regards Robin Flood

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