ON Sunday anglers staged a peaceful demonstration at Blue Lagoon asking for answers on when the Umngeni Estuary would be reopened and a fishing ban lifted.

In January this year the eThekwini Municipality banned recreational and fishing activities from the estuary to the Blue Lagoon non-bathing beach following the discovery of sewage effluent in the estuary.

In recent years, the health of the uMngeni River has come into sharp focus as water quality tests along various sections revealed just how polluted the river is with elevated levels of E.coli (sewage bacteria).

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However, the decision to stop fishing and recreational activities on that section of the river was in accordance with a Coastal Compliance Notice issued by the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment, said the City.

The ban has frustrated anglers who’ve called it ‘unfair’.

Kamal Singh, a member of the Blue Lagoon Angling Crew, a Durban fishing club, said the fishing ban has had a ripple effect on people in the area.

“It’s not only affected us as a club but the regulars and sustenance fishermen, the hawkers, the people selling stuff from the shipping containers and the car guards who depend on us. So the ban has had a ripple effect down the line, in essence disrupting several people’s livelihood. The estuary mouth has been a stable fishing ground for generations and the ban doesn’t make any sense.

“How come other water activities like paddling and angling just metres away from the estuary are allowed to continue? Recently, Laguna Beach was closed to bathing because of high E.coli levels but it was open to fishing. Blue Lagoon has been a non-bathing beach for many years and the E.coli levels have been high but there’s no fishing allowed. It raises questions and concern,” the 44-year-old said.

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Singh added he would like more clarity and openness from the municipality with weekly water quality tests being readily available to the public.

“We would be happy to meet with city officials to raise our concerns. Prior to the ban there would be weekly water testing results posted on social media but I have not seen any readings since the ban came into place. We would like to know whether E.coli levels are dropping or rising. There is a lot of frustration building up among anglers over this closure,” he said.

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