More gill nets recovered

COMMUNITY vigilance led to the recovery of more than a kilometre of illegal gill nets at Lake Mzingazi on Wednesday.

Richards Bay businessman George Shacks noticed suspicious activity while working near the boundary of the Mzingazi Golf Estate.

Upon closer inspection, he saw four women leaving the area, carrying 10 bags between them, and a man sitting in a canoe on the lake.

Suspecting that they were illegally poaching fish, he contacted Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife and the police for backup.

He was soon joined by two Ezemvelo field rangers and the trio ventured down to the lake, concealing themselves among the reeds to see what the man was up to.

As the man approached their hiding spot he spotted them and attempted to flee.

Springing into action, Shacks dashed into the water and managed to tackle him off the canoe.

The suspect slipped free in the ensuing struggle, swam ashore and escaped on foot.

Shacks and his companions gave chase for more than two kilometres, but could not bridge the sizeable gap.

Realising this, the man taunted his pursuers before disappearing.

Six nylon nets, each measuring about 200 metres each, were recovered.

Shacks said he had been observing incidents like these for the last month, and residents of the estate had been trying to take action for a long time.

‘With the lake so low, the fish are concentrated and poachers like these are removing at least 600 or more fish a day. These people are not fishing for sport or for food. It’s a money making scheme and that’s what offends me the most,’ Shacks said.