Illegal fishing is becoming a huge problem

LYDENBURG – Illegal net fishing at Kwena Dam is becoming increasingly problematic. For the fourth time in a matter of month two suspects were arrested.

According to Col Chris Heymans, he received a tip-off regarding yet another bout of illegal fishing on Sunday night.

“I went out to the dam with my unmarked vehicle and saw a white Toyta bakkie parked near the entrance of the old tar-road entrance. I proceeded to inspect the contents of the bakkie with a flashlight but didn’t find anything suspicious.

Two Chinese men appeared and asked me what I was doing. I told them I was a police officer and asked them to open the canopy.”

Inside it were two nets. “I asked the suspects what they were doing with the nets and they said they were fishing and confessed that they had three more nets in the dam.”

Heymans said they told him they didn’t know they were not allowed to use nets in the dam. “I called the Mpumalanga Tourism and Parks Agency (MTPA) to the scene.

Some 75 carp were caught in the nets that were pulled out, all of them undersized. Unfortunately all the fish died as their gills had been damaged by the nets. The vehicle was confiscated and the nets and fish handed over to MTPA for investigation.”

He said that although the fish were undersized, they were breeding pairs. “It’s very sad to say the least. These are the fish that are supposed to increase in the dam. I suspect they sell their haul at the Strydom Tunnel.

In February more than 100 fish died after eight suspects were caught red-handed, net fishing at the same dam. Only a week earlier the newspaper reported on another case when Chinese were again the culprits at Kwena.

Mr Frik Rousseau of fisheries then told the newspaper that they conducted annual surveys in the dam to monitor the population, especially of blue carp. It was evident in January 2014 that their numbers had decreased dramatically.

He said the fisheries did an inspection at the dam on Thursday to estimate the damage caused by net fishing.

Pirate fishing operators break the laws designed to conserve and manage fish stocks and protect biodiversity. In addition to fishing in closed or unlicensed areas, they often engage in destructive fishing practices, damaging fish habitats and depleting stocks.

Mr Themba Mzimba of MTPA told the newspaper that he intended to write a letter to head office regarding the situation at Kwena. “There should be some control over the dam and regulations regarding access.

The situation is very bad at the moment and I will inform MTPA of the dire circumstances we are now facing. Not only is illegal fishing a concern, but littering is also a huge issue. A young girl was recently badly cut when she stepped on a broken bottle in the water.”

The angling club in town urges people who want to fish, to join the club, which will provide them with angling licences which are a compulsory requisite for fishing.

For more information call the club on 082-469-1631.