Greedy fishermen ‘hooked’
Reports of fishermen exceeding the bag limit have surfaced.
WILDLIFE authorities have warned they will throw the ‘hook’ at anglers caught exceeding the daily bag limit of four shad per person.
This as beaches bristle with fishing rods during this bumper season.
Unfortunately, some fishermen at Umtentweni were seen blatantly exceeding their quota last Friday.
Luckily, more conservation-minded fishermen called the anti-poaching hotline and officers were on the spot within 20 minutes.
There was another report of fishermen carrying off five bags of shad from Shelly Beach.
Wayne Munger of Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife, warned that officers would be conducting daily patrols, especially during sardine season.
“It is during the annual sardine run that shad and geelbek are vulnerable to overfishing due to their voracious appetites and shoaling nature,” he said.
The minimum size for shad is 30cm and geelbek need to be at least 60cm, measured in a straight line from the tip of the snout to the end of the tail.
These size limits give the fish a chance to breed at least once before they are caught. The daily bag limit for shad is four and geelbek two per person per day.
“Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife officials will not hesitate to apply the law where legislation is blatantly disregarded. The penalties for contravening the Act are severe and a zero tolerance policy will be applied this season,” said Mr Munger.
To report illegal fishing, call the anti-poaching hotline at 083 3806298.
DID YOU KNOW?
Click on the words highlighted in red to read more on this and related topics.
If you are reading this on your cellphone, you can call the numbers provided simply by clicking on them.
To receive news links via BBM, add us using the pin 2BABF7D1. The South Coast Herald is also on Facebook and Twitter – why not join us there?
