Poacher threat for bass fishing spot

TZANEEN – The Tzaneen Dam, ranked as one of the finest bass fishing spots in South Africa, is under threat from poachers.

This will have a domino effect on the town’s tourism and the local fishing shop.

Wayne Kurten, chairperson of Letaba Bassmasters, says net poaching has escalated in the last 18 months. Spearfishing is also taking place by schoolchildren, it is believed. The licence to legally spear fish in fresh water is very expensive to obtain, and it is unlikely that these young spearfishers are legitimate. Tzaneen Dam has many ‘fingers’ making policing very difficult. The nets are strung along ‘knuckle’ to ‘knuckle’. Recently a 60m long net was hauled out.

The expertly hand fashioned nets are the trademark of subsistence anglers from neighbouring countries. Nets are also made from the plastic netting used in the fruit and vegetable packing industry.

Bass are highly evolved and their mentality is likened to that of a dog, so bass seldom become entangled in a net. However, their fodder fish, specifically the different species of bream and smaller carp are eradicated by the nets. This could result in a knock-on effect for other delicate species like dolphin fish, mosquito fish and dwarf tiger fish. Other popular angling species like carp, barbell and bream are being caught on a huge scale. Netting disturbs the spawn banks and hence the propagation of the species. In the past, a winning bag of more than 10kg was required to take top honours at the annual Tzaneen Bass Classic. Fishermen now battle to get 7kg bags.

“There were some 100 boats in the Tzaneen Bass Classic, held in June every year, with a first prize of R40 000. The boat entries are now less than half that.

Tzaneen Dam is surrounded by uncontrolled forests, including the Hans Merensky Reserve. This makes easy access for illegal fishing. There is no problem in KwaZulu-Natal as the province limits bass on certain dams and it is strictly catch and release. There is access control and permanent water police officials are appointed by the club, according to Kurten.

Kurten says the police water wing from Polokwane will come this month, as the police have no authority over the dam. The police water wing was at the dam earlier this year and removed several nets. The solution would be to reinstate fishing licences, which in turn could pay towards the policing of the dam. Abandoning fishing licences in Mpumalanga and Limpopo opened the door for illegal practise.

“We are going to end up with a dam full of water and nothing else,” Kurten says.

He says an appeal to economic development, environment and tourism MEC Seaparo Sekoati, as well as several heads of other departments has been ignored. “Should anyone see illegal netting it is not wise to approach the poachers as they are very arrogant.”