Poverty initiative snarled up
AND so the rot begins!
A restaurant owner on the Wild Coast has allegedly purchased from an exporter who is supplied (legally) via subsistence fishers, a batch of crayfish – to only find himself arrested and the stock and freezers confiscated.
Again I ask this question: How is this sector going to be policed? The end user pays the price, the environmental damage is done – and there is very little to show for it at the end of the day.
Here a restaurant owner supports the new poverty initiative, only to find himself out of pocket.
When the stock was returned, well after his release as he was not formally charged, the quality was suspect and his reputation in tatters.
From the outset, this project was intended for the well-being of these humble folk with traditional rights, who have to work through a co-operative system.
To support local is far more beneficial for food security and returns for all of society.
Serious questions are being raised about how the system operates and how much smuggling (undersized crayfish that the co-operative will not accept) will result.
This is because controls (monitoring of catches at the point of harvesting) are seriously lacking, it seems, as the area is so vast and manpower is stretched.
The recreational angler gets the bloody nose in the end. We have seen this with perlemoen and now crayfish will be next, and so the proverbial list will grow.
The law-abiding are further restricted and the criminal element has a vaster expanse to manoeuvre in.
In conclusion, the public must not purchase any fish or crayfish without examining the paper work of the vendor (subsistence fisher or other) and seeing his permit conditions.
Do also make absolutely sure you receive a receipt for the purchase and that it is legal.
These vendors are salesmen of note and can be very convincing!
Here is a little interesting catch-and-release snippet of news. On January 29 last year, a diamond ray was caught and tagged at Gordon’s Bay in the Western Cape.
On December 28 it was re-caught at Mtunzini on KwaZulu Natal’s north coast. It had travelled 1756km in 334 days at 5.3km per day.
The significance of this recapture is due to the fact that it was reported and this data helps scientists understand fish movements and other behaviour.
I urge any conservationminded angler (I do believe we are reaching the majority now) to report tagged catches to the Oceanic Research Institute in Durban. Contact Stuart Dunlop at: oritag@ori.org.za for further details about the programme.
Good catches continue to be made just about anywhere along and around our coast.
Some fine yellowtails have been caught at Cape St Francis from the rocks, as well as at the point this past weekend during a fixed Rock and Surf venue competition.
The kobs seem to take just about any well-presented bait too at the moment, with plenty juvenile kob about, especially in the estuaries.
Grunters are also very prolific at the moment.
Do note hammerhead sharks are now on the prohibited species list and may not be caught.
Meanwhile, spring tide angling should still offer the rewards that have been generous of late.
Early tomorrow morning looks like the best prospect.