Illegal crayfish sellers cuffed in Roseneath, near Umkomaas
The East Coast rock lobster (crayfish) season is closed from November 1 to the last day of February each year.
A joint operation between AT Security and the Coastal Marine Task Force (CMTF) led to the successful arrest of two suspects attempting to illegally sell East Coast rock lobster (crayfish) in Roseneath, Umkomaas on November 21.
As per the CMTF chairperson, Jay Naidoo, the organisation received a call from AT Security informing him that response officers had visual confirmation of two men trying to sell crayfish near a local garage.
Security officers detained the suspects while waiting for CMTF members to arrive at the scene.
On arrival, CMTF confirmed that the suspects were in possession of 22 crayfish, several of which were undersized.
One suspect had an angling permit and a seasonal crayfish permit; and the second had no fishing permits at all.
The organisation also places on record that these two individuals were previously informed about closed seasons and bag limits prior to this arrest.
CMTF reminds the public that the East Coast rock lobster (crayfish) season is closed from November 1 to the last day of February each year.
During closed season, no person is permitted to catch or be in possession of crayfish.
Additionally, the Marine Living Resources Act, Act 18 of 1998, strictly prohibits the sale of recreationally caught East Coast rock lobster. The regulation states that a person may not sell or offer for sale any catch under a recreational permit. All East Coast rock lobster caught under recreational permit is strictly for own use and not for commercial purposes.
The two suspects were then taken to Umkomaas Saps where they were processed by CMTF and Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment compliance officials.
CMTF said that the men received fines of R5000 each, and hopes that this incident encourages the public to respect seasonal closures, as species such as the East Coast rock lobster require this time to spawn and rebuild their populations, ensuring long-term sustainability.
“CMTF is grateful to AT Security for their vigilance and continuous support in protecting KwaZulu-Natal’s coastal environment. Their proactive involvement demonstrates the crucial role security partners play in conservation,” added Naidoo.
Since news of this recent arrest was published via CMTF on social media, the organisation stated that there have been a lot of negative comments regarding this crayfish bust.
“The public needs to be reminded that CMTF does not target specific individuals, poachers are breaking the law and will be held accountable, regardless of race,” said Naidoo.
“We will also continue to monitor and prosecute the illegal crayfish sellers along the N2, but we obviously cannot be everywhere, everyday, so we rely on the public to report these poaching incidents.”
CMTF has a mission to provide support to environmental stakeholders in the protection and conservation of the biodiversity resources of coastal operational areas.
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