Clarifying the fine print on your angling permit
THE angling permit application form that you purchase from the post office is very easy to complete, yet many seem to misunderstand the document.
In simple terms you pay for what you use. In order to angle you must take out the angling section one.
This is a requirement for all recreational anglers older than 13 years. If you gather and use natural bait you need to pay that permit cost – see Section 9 – regardless of whether you may have purchased the natural bait from a permit holder (legal smallscale fisher).
You are still required to take out that permit and be in possession of it. Even if you haven’t done the harvesting yourself, just by making use of bait someone else has harvested, you are also still responsible for its possession.
Do also note that no bait may be gathered from sunset to sunrise on one day to the morning of the following.
There is no “prawn pump” licence as such; it is simply one of the many tools that can be used to gather bait and thus falls under section nine.
The use of a cast net – better known as a throw net – however, requires that you have complied with Sections 3’s purchase.
Should you fish only with a cast net (swimming prawn and fish on the list of species) you need also to have taken out Section 1 as well.
There are some species of fish that may not be kept if caught with a throw net.
Artificial lure angling only requires the purchase of a Section 1 permit.
When fishing from a boat, only one person, usually the operator of the craft, must be in possession of a Section 10 permit.
The rest of the crew must be in possession of valid angling permits. Walking down the road with a rod in hand does not constitute that you are angling and does not require an angling permit.
However, the moment you engage in angling, you then must be compliant.
A fisheries inspector will use discretion here as to how he sees the situation on inspection. He would have made some observations before confronting a person.
A huge area of debate is that of supervision of a minor.
An adult who is out fishing with a minor can coach but not “play the game”! This means that a parent without a permit may not land a fish when you think the minor might not cope (casting included).
Tough, yes, but it is the law. Rather do the right thing and be compliant.
This weekend we can expect the usual afternoon winds characteristic at this time of year. Today has an easterly with a westerly for tomorrow.
On Sunday, a south easterly breeze will blow. Low tide is at 8.31am tomorrow with a rising barometer throughout.
The sea temperature has cooled down substantially and is at 16°C in the Bay. The warmer water has moved further south off Port Elizabeth.
The new moon is on Monday, which is why we will experience spring tide conditions over the weekend.