What started out as a relaxing early-morning fishing trip quickly turned into a stressful encounter with illegal gillnets for members of the Crazee Baits Social Fishing group. The anglers launched their ski boat at Klipfontein Dam just after 06:00 last Saturday.
One of the anglers explained their ordeal… “We got the boat in the water shortly after 06:00 and headed to our usual fishing spot, where we only managed to catch one carp weighing around 2kg. As the wind picked up, we decided to relocate to a more sheltered area. While moving slowly and monitoring the fish finder, my friend noticed a submerged rope; but by then, it was too late. The right motor hit the rope with a loud bang. Upon inspection, we realised the nylon rope was part of a gillnet and oil was leaking from our 60hp motor.”
Unable to continue, the group made their way to the closest shore. They used empty two-litre cold drink bottles to tie to the net; this allowed them to free the boat. Once they were on shore, they discovered that the right motor’s impeller was badly damaged and a piece of cement brick tied to the net had also caused damage to the gearbox. The left motor was only entangled with net, which allowed them to continue.
The anglers returned to the submerged gillnet, which was about one metre below the surface of the water. In about 425 metres of the net, they found 29 fish, still alive. They released the fish, of which many had marks from the net. In another part of the net (about 300 metres), they found 43 fish, including six dead carp (2-5kg) and five dead barbel (1-5kg). Two cormorants that were entangled in the net were also rescued.
They found that the submerged gillnets were weighted down by bricks, but not tied to the shore. This discovery made them believe that the nets had been placed by a boat the night before. Fortunately, most of the fish were still alive. They treated the fish that had visible wounds with Propolis Plus Carp Care spray before releasing them.
“It’s frustrating,” said the angler. “While some of us are committed to conserving the fish in our local dams, others seem determined to destroy them. We noticed locals watching us from the shore as we removed the nets, which we later burned. Despite losing a gearbox and propeller, we’re grateful we saved so many fish.”
The Vryheid Herald contacted Zululand District Municipality for comment on regulations regarding illegal gillnets, their enforcement measures, and how such incidents are handled. The municipality responded as follows, “The municipality strongly condemns any illegal practices. However, in this instance, the matter falls under the jurisdiction of the Department of Water & Sanitation, as they are the custodians of the dam in question. We have formally notified them of the incident and remain committed to assisting in addressing the matter.” The Herald also sent an enquiry to the Department of Water & Sanitation, but at the time of going to print, no response had been received.

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The news provided to you in this link comes to you from the editorial staff of the Vryheid Herald, a sold newspaper distributed in the Vryheid area.