Points to Ponder

[Coxy]

Hi Guys (and girls)

Short of sounding like a lecturing parent, and following on from the "Bloody Angling" discussion, I'd like to state the obvious:

If a fish is undersize (even by a mm) - Return it to the sea, preferably with a tag.

If the season is closed - Return it to the sea, preferably with a tag. Closed seasons are also there to protect the stocks.

If a fish is abnormally large (edibles) - Return it to the sea, it's breeding stock and also most likely won't taste so nice. Again preferably with a tag.

Respect the bag limits (normally 5 per species) - They are there to ensure sustainability of the stocks. Besides fish only tastes great fresh, so the question is - How many fish can you REALLY eat in one sitting??

Don't litter - The boxes and bottles you carried down to the shore were a lot heavier full, than they are now empty. So pack it up and take it home with you.

Line - If you get a nest that you have to cut off, or have a line part that you bring in, roll the line up and take it with you when you leave. That way gulls and other sealife don't end up with line around their legs etc.

Educate - Wherever possible educate others on the beach or bricks.  I know some people won't be open to this, and may get nasty, but at least you tried.

Assist the authorities - Wherever possible report illegal activities, or become honourary officers with the conservation bodies.  This will go along way in stamping out offenders.

Hopefully if we all try do these things we will be able to spend quality time with our children and then granchildren down at the beach, enjoying a productive day's fishing in pristine surroundings!

Take care and tight lines!



 

 

 

[fingers]

Hi Guys,

I too support the catch & release programme and another point to mention, so that the catch and release works well, is the use of barbless hooks. This will ensure the the survival rate is higher.

I have seen fellow anglers bag that undersized shad or grunter and when you tell them about it, it becomes a crime on your part.

Here's an idea for our beachfront piers. The Durban metro can make some money here and also ensure conservation...

Put a boom at the entrance and make sure that it is guarded. Charge anglers say R10.00 to fish for a six hour period. after that they must leave. If want to fish longer - re-enter and pay another R10.00. Have the security guard search the anglers as they leave. This might help with the shad conservation.

The idea may be flawed somewhat but with a little refinement, it might work.

fingers

 

 

[Fish4Fun]

Dream on, gentlemen.......dream on. It'll never happen, there's too many raping the surf with no regard for the ocean or conservation. Witnes the beachfront piers, with the dagga smoking, shad poaching hordes. Witness Umkomaas "when the saaiz grunters are running, my lahnie"-size in this instance being twenty five centimetres as opposed to the size limit of 40 cm. Witness an old salt's comment to me last week when I pointed out that twenty six shad may be ever so slightly over the limit " Hey white c@#$%, I never caught a fish this whole week, I'm cashing in now!

 

As long as there are peole willing to pay R 20 a shad, the carnage will never stop. As long as everything that bites is chucked in a bag for curry'n all chow, no matter how small, it'll never stop. As long as fish are taken home "for the cat", only for mom to discard the tiddlers into the dustbin, it'll never stop.

I no longer point out infractions of the law....I don't enjoy the verbal abuse and threats of violence agaimnst my person. Let them continue.....

 

[Riymos]

fish 4 fun

 

hi there although i understand ur agony and frustration i feel that there is something we all could do."Never Give Up" life is a struggle boet so is everyday living but we still go on trying,so why give up on conservation dont give in even if we only get through to one person at least its one less person we have to worry about in the future.

 

and if we can get one person to stop then hopefully he can get another too.and in doing this we will eventually start a chain reaction.Rome wasnt built in a day and if we fail we have to get up and percievere.if u look at the catch and release program it was started in the states a number of years ago.

 

the americans are only starting to see the fruits of their work.my point is that they didnt just give up.so why should we?

 

cheers riymos

 

[Fish4Fun]

Agony? No....way beyond that already....I've come to the conclusion that some people just want to act like morons no matter what , won't waste any more time on these idiots. What's that old saying -don't try and teach a pig to sing....it wastes your time and annoys the pig no end.

Frustrated...yes. Again, I have decided that it is just too much wasted emotion trying to reason with these morons, so I no longer do it. I appreciate the guys who do try and stick to limits and such...it's just that they're few and very far between.

But by all means, Riymos, you carry on trying to educate them and reform them. Good luck....you're going to need it.

 

[Patrick]

I agree. If enough of us keep giving these poachers stick and shaming them openly, then it may just begin to sink in. And if it doesnt sink in then at least it'll make their fishing trip suck each time, which may keep them at home.

I do hear what you're saying tho Fish4Fun, coz as long as there are those that are going to buy these poached creatures, then it'll continue. But we must resist it tho.

I myself am forever crapping on those carguard/poachers at Muizenburg beach for there raping of 40 to 50 bloodworm that they pump in one go "on order" for other anglers.

I couldnt give a monkeys if they are covered in tattoos from prison and will probably one day knife me. I make a point of crapping them out in front of others.

After all its all of our resources, and once its gone then what?

 

 

[Riymos]

howzit pat

i agree lets disgrace these guys do what ever it takes

and as u said maybe when they see us coming then they will think twice or better yet they may pack up and go home evrytie they see us

cheers riymos

 

 

[Coxy]

Well said Patrick!! 

The morons broke into my car there a few months back when I went to pump... A real skanky bunch they are.

I saw some guys pumping just behind the bridge at Swartvlei for prawn.... Surely that is illegal too??  Do we have a coastal MCM/Cape Nature/Sea Fisheries guy who looks after Muizenberg area?

 

[fingers]

Hi Guys,

I know it may a little far fetched to do what we can to protect our resources but if we don't try or at least start, no one else will. And when our resources are depleted, we can tell our grand kids a story that starts with "In my days". Too little too late.

Imagine if each angler put back one undersized fish, the amount of fish that would be saved. These idiots need to hear it. They need to know that we will not leave them alone if we see it and if they dont like, dont fish. Catch your limit or what you intend on consuming over the next couple of days. leave the rest to grow.

There will come a time when we all will have to be searched when leaving our favourite fishing spot and that will be due to over fishing. Would you like your privacy violated or do you wanna start conserving now. The choice is ours to make.

fingers

 

[Riymos]

Hi guys

I wana tell you all about what happend yesterday.We were at north pier and lance Pillay hooked up with a 6kg springer which he lifted out of the water without  a gaff.

When i saw that the fish was not injured i decided to put a tag in the fish after weighing and mesuring the fish i tagged and released it,but it didnt want to swim after putting it back.so i decided to retrieve the fish on doing this spectators decided i was mad for releasing the fish,i tried explaining that even if i did get the fish back i was going to try and reviving the fish.ORI says that we have to make sure the fish is fully revived first before release as the tags we use are verry expensive item.

Eventually the fish did get a little life and swam out a little bit but that did not deter these guys they wanted the fish no matter what they tried evrything even jigging the thing but luckly they didnt manage that.Thank God!!

Anyway my point is that we have to educate these guys no matter what its up to us to do it if we dont our kids and grand kids may never have the joys we and our grandparents have had.

Cheers Riymos!!!!

 

[Patrick]

Hey Coxy,

Finally got hold of the MCM and this is the deal. Pat Stacy is the chief in charge of that area - tel 021 7888313;0828293919. Complained to him about the bait raping there and he said that he will get into the matter. Apparently they have dished out a few fines there recently, but i said he must jump on those carguard poachers especially,and of course anyone else with no ears. I'm to fax him a letter so that he has a written complaint.

Also gave an earful to another MCM canonie called Bernie 021 4023535 and he will also take it further. Let me know if you happen to be pumping and see any change in the situation.

Cheers

Patrick

 

[Patrick]

Oh ja, forgot to say Coxy that as far as i know, pumping in any of those vleis is illegal. They used to allow it years ago until the prawns were almost entirely wiped out.

Good to see in your other blogs that you also have a (fish)bone to pick with those damn trek netters!! They're the reason we spend more time on this site than actually out catching fish! Think its time to get Carte Blanche to do a piece on them and show all how many fish are being wiped out.

Patrick

 

[Coxy]

Can you imagine Derek Watts being moered by the trek netters!  ::H

I know the MCM boys hit the poachers a few weeks ago, but maybe we need them to nail them every day for a month and they'll dissapear!  Constant visible policing is what's needed. 

Thanks for the info, methinks Pat might be hearing a lot from me!

 

[Patrick]

Ha ha ha! Now that may get the problem solved! Or better yet Ruda Landman, then all the feminists will get involved too! (Sorry Ruda and chicks...)

Good to know about the poachers getting nabbed, but as you say it needs to be done every day or they'll just keep coming back.

On a fishing note, if we must..., have you been catching anything of late with the tide being of colour? I wanna go out on my ski tomorrow and heard another guy caught some elf in Strand yesterday. Just want to check that all is not dead in the bay.

cheers

 

 

[Patrick]

Keep it up Riymos. What fools those other anglers are. Springer is not even an edible fish, way too bony anyway. 

 

[Coxy]

Hi

Haven't wet a line for a while now, I made the assumption the red tide would have made things be quiet, but clearly not!

Keep me posted on catches from Ski..... Assuming of course that Jonny doesn't come visit you on the ski! ::H

 

[little-hobo]

@riymos , nice going dude.
@patrick , guess u haven't seen the "vultures on the pier" . anything that swims will be bagged and taken , i even seen the guys taking those ugly looking conger eels home.

 

[Patrick]

Thanks Coxy! My therapist had just got me over that fear! Ha ha.

I'll say hi to Jonny for you and keep you posted on my bites. I guess any fish is better than none.