On Dad wrote:
I would like to put this matter to bed .
I am the Public relations officer of Eastern Province shore Angling Association.
We have a strict Code of Conduct that every member in EPSAA must sign before he/she may participate in any Fixed venue competition. We monitor our anglers on the beach during each outing on how they handle fish , littering etc. and cleaning up after them when we leave. As one of these "beach cops " I can tell you all without any doubt , that our members adhere to these rules , particularly in St Francis where we fish a few meters from the residents` doorsteps!
We do not tolerate any misconduct and any member who transgresses will be brought before a Disciplinary Committee .
If we receive any solid evidence that any member is guilty of misconduct , we will most certainly act against him/her.
Unfortunately we share the same spots as recreational and subsistence anglers who often leave a mess in certain areas.
Most of our anglers will display a number on his shirt or jacket which is allocated to him by SASAA ( South African Shore Angling Association ) and which will identify him if he is guilty of bad behaviour.
If no such number is displayed , then they can also be identified by the colours of their club.
Any member of the public is welcome to contact us if any bad behaviour is spotted , but we need EVIDENCE to bring them to book.
The EPSAA Disciplinary Policy requires us to produce evidence , such as pictures or sworn affidavits , just as the case may be in a criminal court.
With that we can act , without it , we are open to civil litigation .
As mentioned earlier , we are acutely aware that the St Francis residents value their beaches to be left clean and tidy - and we send emails to all clubs before we fish this venue every year to remind them of this fact.
Please guys - send me proof , and I will act as a member of the EPSAA Executive .
Similarly, if you simply guess it was one of our guys leaving a mess, do not publicly name and shame anyone without proof. Even if a group of guys return from a spot that is all messed up , does not mean they were the culprits.
Grootvis , you may PM me and I will gladly chat to you and share some thoughts as to how we at EPSAA can improve the monitoring of our members in your area .
On Dad
Thank you for your reply. Please allow me to point out the facts. It will become clearer.
Since Friday night , Pietman, Jarred and Michael fish the platform and remain at the point. Since Friday night the 3 of them, the league guys and myself fish the point. The platform is littered. A dead shark is left in the rocks. Discarded bait and small fish is evetywhere and all over the platform. Now Pietman says it doesn't belong to them. That leaves the league guys. Or am I wrong. The evidence is there. Posted. Between the 3 guys that fished the platform on Friday night or the group that fished Saturday it was left there. All fresh. So who did it. Not many to choose from. As a genuine question. Do you have a marshal monitoring the comp on site?
On Dad. Weve been through this before last year sometime if you can recall. That time it was the etiquette on the beaches. Its purely coincidental that i happen to be there at these times.
I would have no leg to stand on if I didnt see anyone at the point on friday and saturday. I live less than a minute from the carpark. Im in and out all the time looking st conditions. This time theres not much to pick from.
Its unfair that the innocent ones must be blamed too but thats how it works. Its up to them to address the issue with the guys that have given them a bad name.
I have merely and factually brought this up because no one does.
Surely Dean will know who was fishing in their group. Surely Jarred will know who he wss fishing with.
If Jarred can say it wasnt them who caught the shark and left the mess. Then ill apologise. If Dean or you can say no one in the league caught the hammer and left the bait. Then Ill apologise. Ill leave it then to an unexplained phenomenon.
Did any of the league guys catch the hammer? Or did any league guys fish the platform? That will settle it.
As for the way forward. I know some people in St.Francis that I will approach. My goal. To get two bins at the platform and areas close. Two bins at Kommetjie. Mounted on gum poles. It doesn't help having one in the carpark a kilometer away from the fishing spots. The monitoring and emptying will be discussed and dealt with.
As for dead fish and sharks...who knows.