This past week saw some very skilled environmental efforts being conducted by the fisheries office of East London’s department of agriculture, forestry & fisheries (Daff), with support from the SAPS.
A vehicle was stopped after a complaint was received from a member of the public. On searching the vehicle, nine occupants were found to be in possession of 466 recreational linefish.
Today’s photo shows some of the blacktail allegedly caught during an overnight trip to the Tyolomnqa area of Pozi village. The fish comprised predominantly blacktail, kob and shad.
Could it be that fishing in numbers and raping the coast, then using those numbers to shield off some outnumbered inspectors, is becoming a trend?
All nine were arrested due to their involvement, but sadly the vehicle with its angling gear was returned to the owner and not confiscated.
The details and circumstances of the incident are not completely clear at this stage and this should not have been the case with any large-scale poaching effort.
It is suspected that a net was also used; however nothing was found on the vehicle at the time of apprehension.
This is the second largescale, blatant disregard for the environmental laws seen this past month.
We saw the arrest of Leon Deysel and his crew who are accused of using a skillfully manufactured secret hatch to conceal an illegal catch.
A hatch of this kind suggests premeditation and a deliberate intent to transgress regulations.
Effort undertaken to alter a vessel to accommodate hidden fish may also suggest intent for serial transgression.
The conservation-minded angling community eagerly awaits the outcomes of these two operations.
On the angling scene, things appear rather quiet at the moment. The prospects look good for the early part of the week as far as the moon phases are considered, as well as the prevailing winds which seem to be rather docile at the moment.
The water temperatures are better on the western side of the bay at present.
The Blue Horizon Bay area in particular looks interesting for this period for that elusive white steenbras that seems to be the angler’s choice this time of year.
Bait choice and presentation are quite an art too at this time of the year.
Spending a little time trying to replicate a bait source like a sand crab or small squid should yield results. It is about thinking from within the tank!
Friday is full moon with Saturday kicking off on a high barometer reading, gradually falling through to Sunday afternoon.
On Saturday, we experience a light westerly with the wind turning light easterly later in the day. On Sunday, a light westerly prevails throughout. Low tide is at 10.03am on Saturday. The sea temperature in the bay is just below 17°C while it is a little warmer on The Wild Side.