Mystery seabird deaths could lead to a disaster
[caption id="attachment_38274" align="alignright" width="405"] TRUE SPORTSMAN: Chris Schoultz, who consistently puts most anglers to shame, with a large garrick caught at Swartkops[/caption]
THE Port Elizabeth area has been plagued by yet another puzzling phenomenon and that is the strange fatalities we have witnessed with the bird population along our shores.
It has been noted that these birds are without stomach contents and appear to be starving.
Part of the debate is they are being poisoned somehow, which leads to paralysis, which means they cannot swim and fly and end up dying of starvation.
Those found are birds such as cormorants, penguins and gannets that live from the sardine stock off our coast.
The big question: Has red tide caused this toxification of these birds through a chain reaction?
Are the sardines carrying toxins which are killing these birds?
Any fresh bird samples must be reported so autopsies can be conducted to determine the cause of death.
This is vital to find the root cause of this pending disaster.
The dead birds are also being eaten by the seagulls that in turn also die. Sadly, further reports of bad water quality in the Swartkops River – it has now officially claimed a state of permanent eutrophication, which means the loading of nutrients, mainly from sewerage, has pushed the water quality into an unnaturally high state of nutrients and phytoplankton in the water column.
This has very negative consequences for human health and ecosystem functioning.
The mass illegal plundering of oysters and line fish being supplied to the public, has placed many who consume this seafood at risk of contracting hepatitis A.
Recently a grunter was caught at Swartkops which had three eyes! The third eye positioned in the middle of the forehead like something from animated comic books. Here is another bit of evidence lending support to the toxic levels of the water the juvenile fish dwell in at the Swartkops.
I shudder to think what the river would look like should the mouth close due to silting and whether the authorities would take the stance of letting nature run its course.
Legends are people who have built up a reputation and continue to produce what has made them so. Looking back in my collection of photos I have collected over the past 20 months of "Reel Time", I can't help but notice that Chris Schoultz is one such man who consistently catches dream fish. What he produces in a month, many anglers never produce in a lifetime.
On top of that, he releases all his fish, which are not caught on natural bait stock either. Now that tells a story and it is not just luck either.
People tell me how barren the Swartkops is yet Chris never fails to produce good fish there. (Just be warned about eating these fish.)
A true ambassador for the sport of recreational angling.
- Reel Time, with Wayne Rudman
