Dear members, I would like to know your opinion o

Z

Zane

New member
Dear members,

I would like to know your opinion on whether the dismal season that I experienced on the strand reefs, in particular the smooth hound fishery, was purely a result of the high water temperatures that we experienced this summer or whether you believe that the uncontrolled commercial harvesting of this species has finally amounted to their depletion in False Bay?
 
P

PatrickC

Senior Member
When fishing macs I caught quite a number of smooth hounds last season, this season only 1! Interested to see what the experts think.
 
Marthin

Marthin

Sealiner
ek het 2 spotties gekry..... maar niks smoothies nie....

Ek dink hulle het almal langebaan toe getrek... die seebabers van langebaan lagoon!!!!

Ek het 3 jare gelede gese dit kan nie commercially viable wees nie.... nie op die langtermyn in die hoeveelhede wat ek by die fabriek sien le het nie.
 
S

stinkmossel

Sealiner
Yip,dis onmoontlik. Maar dan ook, daar word partykeer meer smoothies gevang as kabeljoue... Miskien is. Dit maar net n swak seisoen, gemeng met overfishing..?
 
J

JONES

New member
I think it might have something to do with the water temp this year as the whole Strand GB area was very slow this summer (to me anyway).

I suppose we will only know next year if it is only slow year or a result of over fishing.
 
P

Pylstert

Sealiner
Hi Zane,
There was a feature on False Bay in Africa Geographic last year, think it was the September issue. Very interesting article explaining species movement and ecology in the bay. It did state that smooth hound and gulley shark populations have been decimated in the bay since the granting of the commercial licenses and it is having repurcussions beyond just a simple decline in populations. Apparently there used to be massive schools offshore at times around Simon's Town but these are no longer there. So it is maybe not just the warm water.
 
Marthin

Marthin

Sealiner
and contrary to common belief, GW don't only eat seals.... they are about in the surf zone looking for sharks to eat as well....

No sharkies to eat.... well they might have to look elsewhere for a zarmie......
 
Marthin

Marthin

Sealiner
http://www.sealine.co.za/view_topic.php?id=6162&forum_id=1&highlight=shark+fishing+false+bay

There's ur answer....
 
P

Pylstert

Sealiner
Marthin wrote:
and contrary to common belief, GW don't only eat seals.... they are about in the surf zone looking for sharks to eat as well....

No sharkies to eat.... well they might have to look elsewhere for a zarmie......
Click to expand...
This was mentioned in the article as far as I remember
 
Z

Zane

New member
At the expense of drifting off the topic I agree full heartedly agree with Marthin & pylstert. 

As a surfer I surfed Kalk Bay and Muizies for years without any worries, come summer or winter.  Our shark attacks in Cape Town started at the very same time that the Cape Town fishing industry turned its focus on smoothhounds and soupfin sharks.  If you want to stop the shark attacks in Cape Town then ban commercial fishing on our demersal sharks, PERIOD!

Ja this message goes out to the poacher who owns the Boat named GATVOL in Strand as well...
 
M

Moeghoes

New member
In a word.. Poaching....
When the smoothies are here they slaughtered in there thousands, By recs and social anglers(poachers).

More often than not there are 1.5m high piles of smoothies in the cleaning area at the strand slip.

I dont know how long this has been going on for... But its definately not sustainable... We have also come accross gill nets on on the reefs... They have decinmated the leervis populations...

Strand is supposed to be a MPA... But it get treated like a free buffet for the homeless...

Back to the topic... Until there is resonable enforcement and regulations there numbers will continue to decrease, until somepoint in the future when its already to late they will join the other red list species...
 
Marthin

Marthin

Sealiner
Moeghoes... if you read the thread i posted the link of...

6 commercial rights were given just to target them, there were no size or depth limits...

This is an effort-controlled fishery with only 6 shark fishing permits, of which only a portion actively fish for shark at any given time.

"There are bycatch limits on the fishery - obviously white's are not allowed to be taken - but there are currently no depth regulations, bag limits (other than those regulating protected shark species) or size limits on the demersal shark fishery."

Now i don't know if there has since been given more rights, or what the allowable bycatch is for the commercial guys cleaning fish at strand slip, or if the 6 some of them clean there.

But if they do, it would account for what you have seen, and it would be perfectly legal. I know GATVOL has been mentioned a couple of times, but he might be one of the 6 with a right. And from what i can see there was no bag limit given so if the smoothies are dik they can fish, fill the boat, offload and go back all day long.

The worst is, as far as i can remember although i cannot find the threads, this was cleared and approved by a shark scientist... i won't mention the name, until i can find the actual thread but i nearly kukked myself when i saw it the first time, and made numerous posts about the insanity of thinking the smooth hound or small bronzie population is a bottomless pit in falsebay.
 
M

Moeghoes

New member
Strand Closed Area
Only shore angling (and no other type of fishing) is allowed between the mouth of the Lourens River, and the eastern breakwater of the harbour at Gordon’s Bay, extending 500 m seawards.

So why then every night are there boats fishing within this 500m boundry... Some of which actively target smoothhounds. I have also encountered twats that target them for SALE from strand slip.... MCM needs to show face in FB....
 
Marthin

Marthin

Sealiner
Yep craig i think that was a point you and i agreed on last time this topic came up....

We got legalised mass poaching going on on our doorstep. Our rhinos are being slaughtered like cattle, by the very people supposed to protect them, yet it get's page 6 coverage.
 
Marthin

Marthin

Sealiner
that 500m is calculated from a certain point, strandwolf blabbered something about it oneday, but if he tells me good morning i'd go outside to see if the sun is up.
 
Marthin

Marthin

Sealiner
Found it...

http://www.sealine.co.za/view_topic.php?id=13037&forum_id=1

Seems the handline boats can also target them, dunno how much.
 
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