Coastal Marine Task Force from Umkomaas tackles illegal shad catches
Twenty five shad caught illegally in the closed season were confiscated.
After reports of illegal shad catches in the closed season (October 1 to November 30), Coastline Marine Task Force (CMTF) members from Isipingo and Umkomaas launched a swift joint operation last month.
The teams met at Inyoni Rocks to investigate and interacted with 13 fishermen, 12 of whom had valid fishing licences. A total of 23 shad were confiscated, with no ownership claimed.
The team then went to Isipingo beach and Reunion Park, where they engaged with 10 fishermen, all of whom produced fishing licences. Two shad were found hidden and also confiscated.
The Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment officials and CMTF booked the confiscated shad into the SAP13 register.
How was CMTF founded?
Since the early 2000s, a group of local residents monitored and patrolled the Umkomaas River for illegal gillnetting. Over time it was realised that they could not combat the illegal fishing activities on their own, and recognised the need for a formal organisation, thus the birth of Coastal Marine Task Force (CMTF).
On August 2, 2024, the group had its first bust as an official organisation. Numerous suspects were arrested for illegal gillnetting in the Umkomaas River and numerous nets and vehicles were confiscated and impounded by Saps Umkomaas.
As a formal non-profit organisation, the team was now officially recognised and was able to successfully prosecute the repeat offenders together with the help of Saps Umkomaas.
Today, its mission is to provide support to environmental stakeholders in the protection and conservation of the biodiversity resources of coastal operational areas.
In just a short time period of five months, the CMTF team has recovered over 20km of gillnets, along with 534 dead fish and 455 fish safely released.
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