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Worldwide, bait worms are collected for recreational and subsistence fishing, and fetch high prices in bait shops. While a variety of polychaete families are collected, we focus only on the “Marphysa” group (Family Eunicidae) occurring in rivers, estuaries and protected bays. We discuss the management strategies currently in place in Australia, South Africa and France, and we suggest that they are inadequate and fail to take into account Eunicid diversity and biology. While the reproductive strategies of only a few species have been investigated, they all exhibit very different strategies, and this must be taken into account when developing management and monitoring plans to ensure sustainable harvesting. Information is also needed on the impacts of collecting in these coastal habitats and their ecosystems that are increasingly being impacted by climate change. We also comment on the collection of the “Marphysa” group elsewhere in the world. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Pied Kingfisher Ceryle rudis is a fishing kingfisher that employs two hunting modes. The bird can either hunt from a perch or hover and then dive into the water. The former method is energetically cheap but limits prey searching to the area below the perch, whereas hovering is costly but gives access to feeding areas that lack perches. This exploratory study examined how the provision of artificial perches influences the frequency of hover and perch hunting. In the hunting tracts with additional perches, 82% of 175 hunts were successful, but there was no correlation between the success of hunts and the presence of perches. However, hunting rates in tracts with extra perches were four-times higher than in control tracts. These results suggested that even though more perches did not improve the hunting success of Pied Kingfishers, the birds could increase their hunting rates, which probably enabled them to catch their daily fish requirements in a shorter time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Online evidence suggests that there has been an increase in interest of using unmanned aerial vehicles or drones during land-based marine recreational fishing. In the absence of reliable monitoring programs, this study used unconventional publicly available online monitoring methodologies to estimate the growing interest, global extent, catch composition and governance of this practice. Results indicated a 357% spike in interest during 2016 primarily in New Zealand, South Africa and Australia. From an ecological perspective, many species targeted by drone fishers are vulnerable to overexploitation, while released fishes may experience heightened stress and mortality. From a social perspective, the ethics of drone fishing are being increasingly questioned by many recreational anglers and we forecast the potential for increased conflict with other beach users. In terms of governance, no resource use legislation specifically directed at recreational drone fishing was found. These findings suggest that drone fishing warrants prioritised research and management consideration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The brown mussel Perna perna is the dominant indigenous mussel along the east coast of South Africa, where it is harvested by recreational and subsistence fishers. High fishing pressure near urban areas led to declining abundance and consequently to the closure of some reefs to fishing in 1998. We estimated trends in mussel population dynamics at exploited and unexploited sites, along fixed transects, over a 27-year period (1993–2019). Trends in recreational fishing effort were inferred from yearly permit sales and existing catch statistics. At high levels of fishing effort, short-term trends in mussel cover and densities were inversely related to fishing effort at three of the four sites considered, while the fourth site was influenced by intermittent breaching of a nearby estuary. Mussel size was inversely related to population densities. The effects of longer-term harvesting bans were partially obscured by sharp declines in fishing effort across the entire recreational fishery. Seasonal and interannual patterns in cover and density were partially synchronised among sites, indicating environmental forcing at similar time-scales. The long-term dataset was invaluable in disentangling the relative effects of fishing and environmental factors on mussel population dynamics and should be continued as a baseline for assessing future climate-induced effects on rocky-shore biota. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While the economic activity associated with recreational fishing is well assessed in the developed world, substantially less is known in developing countries. South Africa is a unique microcosm for applying economic evaluation frameworks as its dualist economy shares characteristics of both the developed and developing world. Understanding participation levels and the role of dualism in economic activity linked to recreational fisheries is a crucial step towards leveraging the sector for economic development. A total of 1320 face‐to‐face and online questionnaires were used to estimate annual economic spend by recreational fishers, and the economic activity associated with this spend was modelled using Social Accounting Matrix analysis. Recreational fishing participation estimates totalled 1,327,633, which contributed ZAR 32.6 billion (US$2.2 billion) per year to economic activity and sustained 94,070 full‐time jobs. However, less than 10% of the economic activity benefitted lower income households, suggesting that the "first" and "second" economies of this dualist economy are disconnected. This is likely similar in other developing nations with international tourism‐driven recreational fisheries. To reduce this disconnect, changes in tourism policies to focus on local development, the identification of recreational fisheries tourism hotspots and the development of local education, skills and appropriate infrastructure through public–private partnerships will be necessary. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We reviewed 140 papers to assess the ecological effectiveness of South Africa's marine protected areas (MPAs). Evidence was assessed for coverage and representivity, protection of important biodiversity areas, other recognised elements of effectiveness, connectivity, and ecological effects—from the scale of individual MPAs to the MPA network scale. We conducted complementary novel analyses to supplement the review and to objectively determine where and how the MPA network can be improved. Evidence shows that South Africa's MPAs now provide some protection to all ecoregions and 87% of ecosystem types but to less than 50% of assessed species groups. MPAs are generally well-sited, but gaps were revealed on the west coast and in estuaries, the deep sea, and two ecologically and biologically significant areas. Enforcement emerged as a key concern, and many MPAs could be improved through expansion or by increasing no-take areas. The majority of relevant papers recorded beneficial ecological effects, detectable as increases in parameters such as the abundance, biomass, sizes or reproductive output of species. Few papers examined whether ecological benefits translate into adjacent fisheries benefits, but all those that did recorded positive effects. Full protection was more effective than partial protection, with effectiveness most clearly demonstrated for vulnerable target taxa. Further research and monitoring to achieve evaluations of effectiveness are recommended, with greater focus on neglected MPAs and species. Understanding the ecological connectivity between MPAs, an important dimension for climate-change adaptation and hence for the persistence and resilience of South Africa's marine biodiversity, is identified as a key area for future research and inclusion in MPA planning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The white‐spotted wedgefish (Rhynchobatus djiddensis) is a Critically Endangered shark‐like ray in the family Rhinidae. Throughout its Western Indian Ocean distribution, it is targeted for its valuable meat and fins and is reported to have undergone major population declines. However, there remains a need for species specific time‐series data to accurately assess localized population declines.This study used two independent long‐term (37 and 40 years) time‐series catch data from competitive shore angling and shark nets to investigate the size composition and catch per unit effort (CPUE) and conduct a risk assessment for the population on the east coast of South Africa.From 1977 to 2017 the competitive shore fishery captured 7,703 individual R. djiddensis, whilst shark nets in the same region captured 2,856 individuals from 1981 to 2017. Individuals captured in the nets had a sex ratio of 1.8:1 females to males, and were larger than those caught by the anglers. Although the mean annual sizes of net‐caught individuals were above the size of reported sexual maturity, there was little evidence to suggest that any individuals captured were reproductively active.Both the competitive shore fishery and shark net catches exhibited strong seasonal trends with the majority of R. djiddensis catches occurring from October to May peaking in austral summer. Standardized CPUE from the competitive shore fishery declined substantially between 1977 and 2017 and shark net catches exhibited a significant (p < 0.05) fourfold decline in annual nominal CPUE from 1981 to 2017.Ultimately, a risk assessment showed a 65.1% decline in abundance over a period of three generation lengths, which indicates that the sampled population of R. djiddensis in South Africa should be classified as Endangered according to the IUCN Red List using criterion A2b. The conservation implications of this are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Invasive species typically establish in areas outside their natural distribution through accidental introduction and accidental release or escape. Some species are introduced legally for economic and social benefits such as recreational hunting, the pet trade and research through established permitting processes driven by appropriate laws and regulations. The aim of this study was to determine whether there is a trend in demand for regulated alien taxa based on permit requests and to ascertain the activities for which permits requested in order to infer the drivers of alien taxa demand in South Africa. We examined the Department of Environmental Affairs (DEA) species permitting application database records from October 2015 to February 2018. From the total of 1,390 permit applications during this period, 79.2% of the permits were issued for various economic and social activities associated with the following species: Red lechwe (Kobus leche leche, Gray), fallow deer (Dama dama Linnaeus), Grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idella Valenciennes), Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus Linnaeus) and rose‐ring parakeet (Psittacula krameri Scopoli). Our results suggest that economic activities such as hunting and sport fishing are driving the demand for some regulated species. We suggest reinforced monitoring and inspection for permit compliance for species sought to minimise potential escape. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fishers' ecological knowledge (FEK) has become a popular method for collecting fisheries data. Yet, standard biological sampling by researchers is still the most commonly used method. South Africa's recreational fishing sector currently has a wealth of biological and demographic information on species captured with hook and line, while several species targeted in the spearfishery are data limited. The aim of this study was to incorporate specialised spearfisher FEK to improve the understanding of the reproductive biology of Oplegnathus conwayi in South Africa. This was achieved using standard biological sampling and FEK data collected from specialist spearfishers using a questionnaire. A total of 305 O. conwayi were collected along the South African coastline. Fish were dissected, sexed and staged macroscopically and gonad staging was verified histologically. One hundred and three survey responses were received, of which 90 were regarded as being from specialised spearfishers. The combination of both traditional sampling and FEK data complemented each other well, with key reproductive data such as spawning season, length-at-maturity and spawning locality being collected. The combination of these methods is strongly advised for future life history studies, particularly, in countries with data-deficient species and limited research funding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article discusses the shift from regarding illegal fishing as a fisheries management problem towards viewing it as ‘fisheries crime’, locating it within the South African and broader African context. It introduces the new fisheries crime paradigm, identifying the reasons for its emergence and outlining the legal challenges and opportunities that it presents in efforts to halt illegal fishing with reference to South Africa as an illustrative African example. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although previously sharing many ecological and institutional conditions, the fisheries reform processes undertaken in South Africa and Namibia in the early 1990s have produced highly different institutional trajectories. In Namibia, the institutional arrangements governing fisheries management have turned Namibia into a regional success case with relatively low degrees of illegal fishing and poaching, but in South Africa, the institutional arrangements are generally considered to be weak and characterized by noncompliance – and poaching is widespread. The overall objective of this article is to provide an institutional perspective on how to understand the dynamics of these different trajectories. In particular, the article concludes that the notion of path dependence, historical legacies, and distributional struggles provide important insights to the observed developments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The hake (Merluccius capensis and M. paradoxus) directed offshore demersal trawl is the most economically important fishing sector in South Africa, generating 30,000 jobs and comprising more than 50% of fisheries value. The industry changed to long term rights (LTRA), allocated in 2006 for a 15 year period. This study investigates the structure of the industry half-way between allocations. Data obtained through government and industry consultation are used to generate a structural representation of this sector, its fleet, vertical integration and horizontal consolidation (e.g. catch-share agreements and product value-adding), and heterogeneity of business models. Vertical integration is an important characteristic of the industry. Nine business clusters were identified, of which three represent 75.7% of rights and 70% of vessels. The findings indicate consolidation is likely at a higher level than rightsholder numbers imply, due to horizontal clustering. This is consistent with an economically mature industry of scale. Retirement and industry led effort-restriction in relation to MSC certification, catch-cost efficiency and a shift to frozen product, led to a decline in vessel numbers, especially wetfish vessels. Industry's response to a broadening of rights access has been to maintain efficiency and profitability through economies of scope and scale by forming clusters, retiring old vessels and engaging in MSC certification to broaden or retain market access. The trend of consolidation since the 2006 LTRA and the record of consolidations and absorptions of smaller businesses suggest that consolidation is probable to continue at a slow but steady pace. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Lead is an established toxic substance, with wide-ranging health effects, including neurodevelopmental decrements and behavioural problems, even at low levels in blood. Anecdotal reports of lead melting to make fishing sinkers in South African subsistence fishing communities prompted the conduct of an epidemiological study in two South African fishing villages to investigate the extent of lead melting and the associated risks in children. Objectives: The objectives of the study were to determine the extent of lead melting, and the blood lead distributions and associated risk factors in children. Methods: Cross-sectional, analytical studies were undertaken among 160 young school children in the fishing villages of Struis Bay and Elands Bay located along the south-eastern and western South African coastline, respectively. Blood samples were collected for lead content analysis, and anthropometric and hemoglobin measurements were taken. Questionnaires were administered to obtain information about socio-economic status and risk factors for lead exposure. Results: Blood lead levels ranged from 2.2 to 22.4µg/dl, with the mean blood lead level equalling 7.4. Around 74% of the children had blood lead levels ≥5µg/dl and 16% had blood lead levels ≥10µg/dl. Socio-economic factors, and lead melting practices were strongly associated with elevated blood lead levels. Conclusions: Blood lead levels in these remote subsistence fishing communities were unexpectedly elevated, given the absence of local lead industries or other obvious sources of lead exposure. Lead exposure and poisoning is an important, yet neglected, public health concern in South African subsistence fishing communities, and potentially on the entire African continent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent changes have been observed in South African marine ecosystems. The main pressures on these ecosystems are fishing, climate change, pollution, ocean acidification and mining. The best long-term datasets are for trends in fishing pressures but there are many gaps, especially for non-commercial species. Fishing pressures have varied over time, depending on the species being caught. Little information exists for trends in other anthropogenic pressures. Field observations of environmental variables are limited in time and space. Remotely sensed satellite data have improved spatial and temporal coverage but the time-series are still too short to distinguish long-term trends from interannual and decadal variability. There are indications of recent cooling on the West and South coasts and warming on the East Coast over a period of 20–30 years. Oxygen concentrations on the West Coast have decreased over this period. Observed changes in offshore marine communities include southward and eastward changes in species distributions, changes in abundance of species, and probable alterations in foodweb dynamics. Causes of observed changes are difficult to attribute. Full understanding of marine ecosystem change requires ongoing and effective data collection, management and archiving, and coordination in carrying out ecosystem research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Largemouth bassMicropterus salmoidesare an important angling species that are often displaced during catch-and-release fishing tournaments. The impact of acoustic transmitter implantation on this species and the effect of displacement distance on their behaviour were tested. In April 2010, 10 fish with surgically implanted dummy acoustic transmitters and 10 control individuals were kept for 20 weeks under laboratory conditions. Wound healing, hepatosomatic index, gonadosomatic index and viscerosomatic index did not differ between treatment and control groups. However, fish with implanted dummy transmitters lost weight more rapidly than control fish. In 2010, an array of passive data-logging receivers was used at Wriggleswade Dam, Eastern Cape, to record movements of 10 acoustically tagged bass that had been displaced for distances ranging from 0.1 to 4.3 km. Fish displaced by up to 3.5 km remained within 3–4 km of their release site, but fish displaced 4.3 km immediately returned to their capture locations. Seven weeks after the initiation of the experiment, with the onset of winter, fish that had been holding in the vicinity of their release site near the Kubusi River inlet moved into the deeper basin of the impoundment. The results suggest that largemouth bass displaced for up to 4.3 km during fishing tournaments return to their capture localities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study provides empirical data on the exploitation of fishery resources on the Sundays Estuary on the south-east coast of South Africa. Total annual effort was estimated at 63 785 angler-hours, which accounted for an annual yield of 16 214 fish (8.0 t). Effort and mean catch per unit effort exhibited seasonal trends and were highest during summer. Dusky kobArgyrosomus japonicusand spotted grunterPomadasys commersonniiwere the most commonly targeted species and accounted for the bulk of the catch: 3.4 t (43% gravimetrically, 22% numerically) and 1.9 t (24% gravimetrically and numerically) respectively. The smaller-bodied Cape stumpnoseRhabdosargus holubicontributed only 0.2 t (0.03%); however, it accounted for 30.1% of the catch numerically and was important to the minority subsistence sector. Overall, the sustainability of the Sundays estuarine fishery is questionable due to high proportions of juvenile fish in angler catches, high retention rates of juveniles, and high targeting effort towards vulnerable species, such asA. japonicus, although success rates of the heavily targeted species were low. This is exacerbated by limited law enforcement, no fishery monitoring, ill-informed users and no public awareness campaigns. These threats to fishery resource sustainability are not unique to this system and a comparison of findings from similar studies suggests that the management of estuarine fisheries in South Africa is currently inadequate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The catches of the traditional fish traps in the Kosi Bay estuarine lakes were monitored over a 30-year period from 1981 to 2010. Monitoring data were used to provide estimates of, and insights into, catch size and species composition as well as seasonal and annual cycles of catch abundance. Over 1.2 million fish, comprising 43 species and 23 families, were estimated to have been caught during the study period. Tag-and-release data were used to estimate the impact of trap fishing on fish stocks and comparisons were made with recreational fishing to indicate overall fishing pressure and the sustainability of the fishing. Trap numbers remained fairly similar from the first year of monitoring (1981) until 1994, but thereafter they more than trebled by 2001; although numbers decreased after this, they remained well above earlier levels. During this period, recreational angling was an important factor, and gillnetting — both legal and illegal — added to the fishing pressure. Information from the fish trap monitoring, together with results from fish mark and recapture studies, suggest a very high, and possibly unsustainable, catch rate that requires management intervention to return them back to historical and sustainable levels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study evaluates trends in participation, catch and effort in the KwaZulu-Natal offshore boat-based linefishery. Methods used included a random access-point survey and an associated questionnaire survey. The study was undertaken between February 2009 and April 2010. Total participation in all sectors (recreational, charter and commercial) ranged between 18 217 and 20 546 boat-fishers and between 2 582 and 3 326 boats. Similarly, total fisher effort in the offshore linefishery was estimated at 39 664 boat-outings y−1. The commercial boat sector had the highest catch per unit effort (CPUE) both numerically (307.4 fish outing−1) and by weight (235.6 kg outing−1). In contrasting, the recreational boat sector had the lowest CPUE both numerically (8.6 fish outing−1) and by weight (15.0 kg outing−1). In total, 86 fish species, belonging to 27 families, were recorded in catches of boat-fishers (all sectors) during the study period. Catch composition was similar withChrysoblephus puniceus,Chrysoblephus anglicusandLethrinus nebulosusbeing represented in the top five species of all three fishery sectors. Analysis of overall CPUE, catch composition and total catch of the offshore boat-based linefishery in KZN suggested that the fishery is currently in a relatively stable condition and that little change has occurred over the past 13 years. However, specific CPUE values from this study together with those reported in the literature suggest that some species may be severely overexploited. It is recommended that stock assessments of the priority species should be conducted in the near future and steps should be taken to encourage rebuilding of overexploited species. This must include urgent regulation of the burgeoning charter boat-fishery as well as increased attempts to establish more marine protected areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on the assumption that depleted stocks would have recovered during a six-year layoff from fishing, trapping for deep-water spiny lobster Palinurus delagoae and slipper lobster Scyllarides elisabethae off eastern South Africa resumed in 2004 until 2007. A generalised linear modelling approach was used to investigate the effects of year, sampling area, depth, month and trap soak-time on catch and lobster size, and to construct standardised abundance indices. The renewed trapping rapidly reversed partially restored nominal catch rates. Fishing strategy changed from targeting spiny lobsters during the first months of each fishing season to targeting slipper lobsters during later months. Small spiny lobsters were abundant in the southern area, identified as a recruitment hotspot. Spiny lobster abundance and size in this area increased over four years of fishing, but conversely, large adult spiny lobsters predominated in the central and northern areas, where trapping depleted their abundance over time. The adult populations in the central and northern areas are upstream from the recruitment hotspot, and are presumably a source of larvae. Slipper lobster abundance peaked in 2005, remained relatively constant across areas, and increased with depth. Trapping for deep-water lobster is unlikely to be sustainable in its present form. However, the clear gradients in spiny lobster size and abundance by sampling area and depth provide a good framework for spatial management planning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fish were surveyed by visual census on offshore reefs in Mozambique and eastern South Africa to compare (a) fully-protected ‘sanctuary’ areas, (b) ‘partly protected’ areas where recreational diving and limited fishing are permitted, and (c) ‘open’ unprotected areas. Community composition differed between coral-dominated reefs and those covered mainly by algae and sponges, but not among treatments. Larger size classes were significantly diminished in unprotected areas compared to protected and sanctuary zones. Within coral-dominated reefs, abundances of indicator taxa showed three patterns: (1) greatest abundance in sanctuaries, intermediate in partly protected and least in open areas; (2) greatest abundance in sanctuaries but equal diminishment in partly protected and open areas; and (3) greater depletion in partly protected than either sanctuary or open areas. We conclude that partial protection does not effectively conserve reef fish, and there are indications that partly protected areas concentrate fishing effort on ‘pelagic’ gamefish. Sanctioned shore-angling and offshore ‘gamefishing’, illegal fishing and diver disturbance may collectively undermine the efficacy of partially protected areas. The depletion of reef fish species inside protected areas and reconsideration of the classification of pelagic gamefish require managerial attention. Partly protected areas in Mozambique need to be supplemented with no-take zones. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Catches from Angling Week competitions between 1999 and 2010 were analysed to examine changes in catch and effort. Over the course of the study period there was a marked drop in the number of competing anglers and a significant reduction in the total number of fish caught (p = 0.026). There was also a significant (p < 0.01) shift in the areas fished by anglers, from predominantly sandy to rocky reef areas. A total of 5 786 fish, representing 46 different species and 24 families, were positively identified from catches recorded on 2 710 catch cards. Due to the inability of anglers to correctly distinguish between Mustelus mustelus and Triakis megalopterus and between Carcharhinus brachyurus and Carcharhinus obscurus, these species were recorded together into two taxa. The most commonly caught species were Argyrosomus japonicus (20.3%), Mustelus mustelus/Triakis megalopterus (13.0%) and Carcharias taurus (11.8%). Mean CPUE for all fish caught, teleosts and elasmobranchs, as well as the top four teleost and elasmobranch species, increased over the course of the study period, with the exception of Pachymetopon grande and C. brachyurus/C. obscurus, which decreased. Only C. brachyurus/C. obscurus exhibited a significant (p = 0.012) decreasing trend in mean annual weight. Many of the species (43.6%) caught during Angling Week competitions were smaller than published estimates of weight-at-50% maturity. These results, from a unique long-term dataset, provide important information towards the sustainable management of the Eastern Cape shore-fishery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article addresses the question of how states can best promote citizens' compliance with laws that regulate livelihoods. Based on ethnographic data from fishing communities in three countries-Norway, Canada, and South Africa-the article compares compliance motivations that exist under different socioeconomic and political conditions. The comparisons give rise to a typology of three compliance motivations: deterrence, moral support for the law's content, and the legislator's authority. This article then identifies three governable preconditions-enforcement, empowerment of citizens, and civic identity-that respectively explain these motivations. The article argues that the compliance discourse in a given type of state must be framed such that it includes at least the governable preconditions for compliance that have not been met in that state. Consequently, a functional compliance strategy would vary between different state types. The article thus questions the transferability of the developed world's compliance discourses to the developing world. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study describes the Thukela Banks crustacean and linefish fisheries and investigates the potential impacts of reduced flow from the Thukela River on the value of these fisheries. Data were obtained from published and unpublished material, key informants and government records. The crustacean fishery employs about 300 people, and comprises an inshore and offshore fishery. Inshore catches and effort are strongly seasonal, peaking in April to June. The probability of fishing in any particular month is positively correlated with catch per unit effort. Average overall annual catch (inshore and offshore) was estimated to be in the region of 700 tonnes for 1992-2002 with a gross output of about R36.7 million per annum, and a gross value added (net output) of R13.8 million (1 US$ = R6.40; 2003). Inshore prawns were estimated to contribute R8.5 million of the gross output. The Thukela Banks was estimated to contribute R4.5 million and R35 million (rand value in 2003) to the gross output of the commercial linefishery and boat-based recreational angling fishery respectively. Freshwater reduction scenarios yielded 0.7-11% reductions in prawn catches, which translated into only a 1-2% drop in the annual value of the fishery. The latter was attributed to the fishery's diversity (predominantly the buffering effect of bycatch) and the fact that the stocks of the species targeted by the offshore component are largely independent of flow. Catches and value of the recreational boat-based linefishery were predicted to remain fairly constant irrespective of any changes in flow. The commercial linefishery was the most responsive, with a 20% decline in total catch and 17% value predicted for the most extreme flow reduction scenario. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The management of abalone stocks worldwide is complicated by factors such as illegal fishing combined with the difficulties of assessing a sedentary (but not immobile) resource that is often patchily distributed. The South African abalone Haliotis midae fishery is faced with an additional problem in the form of a relatively recent movement of rock lobsters Jasus lalandii into much of the range of the abalone. The lobsters have heavily reduced sea urchin Parechinus angulosus populations, thereby indirectly negatively impacting juvenile abalone which rely on the urchins for shelter. A model is developed for abalone that is an extension of more standard age-structured assessment models because it explicitly takes spatial effects into account, incorporates the ecosystem change effect described above and estimates the magnitude of substantial illegal ('poached') catches. The model is simultaneously fitted to catch per unit effort and Fishery-Independent Abalone Survey abundance data, as well as to several years of catch-at-age (cohort-sliced from catch-at-size) data for the various components of the fishery and different spatial strata. It constitutes the first quantitative approach applied to the management of this commercially valuable resource in South Africa and has provided a basis for management advice over recent years by projecting abundance trends under alternative future catch levels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The relationships between shore-angling catch rates of nearshore predatory teleosts in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, and the timing of the sardine run were examined using a multiple regression model. Results showed that catch rates of five (elf Pomatomus saltatrix, garrick Lichia amia, king mackerel Scomberomorus commerson, blacktip kingfish Caranx heberi and kingfish Caranx spp.) of the nine teleost predators selected for their predatory habits on sardine Sardinops sagax were significantly higher during the months of the sardine run (June-July/August). This corroborates anecdotal and scientific reports of close associations between these predatory fish and the run. It is not clear whether these relationships can be ascribed to a feeding migration by the predators, a reproductive migration by the predators or an extension of suitable habitat for both prey and predators during these months. It is possible that the misidentification of some predatory species may have confounded the results for some species, or that these species are not as strongly influenced by the sardine run as previously thought. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: South Africa’s commitment to implementation of the ecosystem approach to fishing (EAF) requires a solid scientific basis comprised of a toolkit assembled through concerted efforts from which management measures can be carefully considered and put into place. A series of workshops was held to assist in the identification of issues in South Africa’s key fisheries that are cause for concern and may have EAF implications. Several of these issues were addressed under various projects. Food-web studies have been undertaken and models have been constructed of the changes in the structure and functioning of the Southern Benguela upwelling system. The combined effects of fishing and environmental change on South African fisheries have been examined using various observation-based and modelling methods. These are contributing to assessment of changes at multiple spatial and temporal scales, from the impact of pelagic fishing in key foraging areas of critically-dependent predators, to impacts of demersal trawls on the benthos and demersal fish assemblages, to decadal-scale dynamics, and global comparative classifications of ecosystem status. To address some of the EAF issues, practical implementation measures are being developed and applied in collaboration with stakeholders. Stakeholders are also actively involved in the process leading to development of indicators to address the human dimensions of EAF, and knowledge-based systems are being developed as decision support tools. Future priorities for South African EAF research will include placing more emphasis on conservation and biodiversity aspects, linking of environmental/oceanographic knowledge to management objectives, spatial aspects, as well as increased focus on the human dimension and transdisciplinary approaches. Indicators are a promising means of synthesizing multi-disciplinary information for consideration in the management process, providing measures of anthropogenic (including fishing) pressures including social and economic pressures, in combination with environmental drivers, and providing a means of assessing how these affect the Benguela ecosystem. Respectful scientific collaboration will be required to bridge the gap between classical single-species fisheries management approaches and broader ecosystem approaches. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The work discussed in this paper relates to the allocation of fishing rights within the Western Cape province of South Africa. Many of these fisheries are under threat through over-exploitation, and yet are a traditional source of livelihood in many communities. We describe a sequence of interventions during which principles and processes of multiple criteria decision analysis (MCDA) formed the framework for structuring the problems, for facilitating group consensus on the decision making process, and for designing a decision support template for use in future allocations. Interactions with community representatives and with the the national Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism revealed a high degree of consistency in perceptions of the management goals that need to be taken into consideration. These goals could be structured and summarized in the form of an integrated value tree, which in turn formed the basis for a formalized decision support structure that could provide a transparent, coherent and auditable basis for the allocation of fishing rights in a fully goal-directed manner. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Knysna Estuary supports an estimated 30 full-time and 200 part-time subsistence fishers involved in bait collection, mud crab harvesting, and fishing. The mud prawn Upogebia africana dominates the bait-fishery, with estimated catches amounting to about 3% of the standing stock, suggesting sustainable use. Harvest of Marphysa spp. and Gorgonorhynchus dayi is conducted in a destructive manner. Most of the value of fishing lies in the setline catches of spotted grunter Pomadasys commersonnii and white steenbras Lithognathus lithognathus, whereas small species and individuals, particularly Cape stumpnose Rhabdosargus holubi, are also caught with handlines. Indications are that the linefishery is also sustainable at present. The subsistence fishery is worth an estimated R0.7-R1.1 million per annum, with full-time fishers earning at least R11 000-R17 000 per annum from the estuary. Currently operating under recreational regulations, the fishery is poorly controlled and fails to reach its full potential. The main threat to the estuary from damaging harvests of bait species, such as Marphysa spp. and G. dayi, should be discouraged through heavy penalisation of buyers and traders. Sales of mud prawn could probably be legalised. If off-take rates are found to be sustainable, sales of certain fish species could be legalised if access to the fishery could be effectively controlled under a co-management arrangement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Exploitation of temperate reef fish not only affects the target species but potentially changes the composition of reef fish assemblages. This study investigated the effect of fishing on the ichthyofaunal community at protected and exploited sites around the Goukamma Marine Protected Area (MPA) on the South African temperate south coast. Abundance and size frequency data from 273 standardised angling and 44 underwater visual census sites were analysed with generalised linear modelling and multivariate techniques to separate the effects of exploitation, habitat, time of day and season. Ichthyofaunal communities differed significantly between protected and exploited sites, which is likely a result of differential fishing pressure. Abundance and size of roman Chrysoblephus laticeps, the dominant species of the local linefishery, were significantly lower at exploited sites. Non-target species with considerable dietary overlap with roman were significantly less abundant inside the MPA, probably due to interspecific competition, whereas species whose diets differed to that of roman were more abundant at protected sites. The results show that fishing can have an influence on the composition of target and non-target species and that these effects need to be considered in fisheries management and conservation planning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article looks at the manner in which different parties engage with the issue of fishing rights on the inter-personal and public levels over the issue of fishing rights allocation in South Africa. Taking the historic fishing village of Kassiesbaai on the Cape's south coast as the case-site, this article outlines the profound effect that implementation of the Marine Living Resources Act of 1998 (MLRA) has had on the residents and how the debate over who has the right to fish is structured around different understandings of the core concepts of 'ocean', time', and 'value'. A general lack of trust between involved parties is both exacerbated by and serves to perpetuate the miscommunication that hampers the conversation between the residents of Kassiesbaai and role-players in government and the marine fisheries research community. This paper identifies particular nodes of discrepancy and argues that they constitute significant obstacles to communication. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An eight-year research angling dataset collected between February 1998 and December 2005 in the Tsitsikamma National Park marine protected area (MPA), along the south-eastern Cape coast of South Africa, was examined to provide estimates of important fishery and population parameters for eight important shore-angling species. Five different estimates of natural mortality (M), and the coefficients of variation (CVs) of catch per unit effort (CPUE) and size measurements were calculated. There was no consistency in estimates of M between methods, highlighting the difficulty in obtaining reliable estimates of this param eter for per-recruit assessments. The CVs of CPUE measurements were generally higher than those for size measurements. Estimates obtained for the most abundant species, blacktail Diplodus capensis, with a mean CPUE of 0.252 fish h-1, yielded the lowest CVs for CPUE (0.806) and size (0.130) measurements. Therefore, blacktail is considered the preferred indicator species for making comparisons with estimates obtained for shore-angling fish in exploited areas and other MPAs along the South African coastline. The large inter annual variations in mean CPUE and size for all species indicated that a minimum assessment period of four years is required to obtain reliable estimates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Heavy fishing is believed to change the size structure of fish communities through the differential removal of larger sized individuals and species. The size structure of the demersal fish communities off the south coast of South Africa is assessed using a variety of size-based indicators. The communities on this coast are subjected to different fisheries with wide ranging impacts. Changes in the size structure were assessed over the period from 1986 to 2003 for the whole south coast and two depth strata. There was a reduction in the mean length, mean maximum length (L max), and proportion of large fish in these fish communities, and a corresponding increase in the proportion of small fish. Species with a large L max declined in mean catch rate and mean length in contrast to species with a small L max. The trend in the size-based indicators confirms that there has been a change in the size structure of the communities. This change is characterized primarily by a reduction in the abundance of larger sized individuals and a reduction in species with a large maximum length. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

A major shift in resource availability in the West Coast rock lobster Jasus lalandii from the traditional fishing grounds on the West Coast to the more southern fishing grounds was observed between the late 1980s/early 1990s and the turn of the century. The contribution of the West Coast region to total lobster landings declined from about 60% to <10%, whereas in the southern region it increased from around 18% to 60% during that period. The early 1990s was also the start of a major influx of lobsters into the area east of Cape Hangklip, an area not previously associated with high lobster abundance. Whereas the 1990s was a period of change, the period 2000 to present has been one of relative stability in lobster catches. The ecological, fisheries and resource management implications of these shifts have been severe and are likely to cause challenges in the future management of both the rock lobster and abalone Haliotes midae resources. The temporal coincidence of the shifts in lobster distribution with events such as the onset of reduced somatic growth and increased lobster walkouts suggests environmental forcing factors, as do congruent changes in other components of South Africa's Western Cape marine ecosystems. However, despite a number of studies on the variability of the physical environment, the causes of these events remain poorly understood. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Trophic models of three upwelling ecosystems, the southern Benguela (South African), southern Humboldt (Chilean) and northern Humboldt (Peruvian) systems, have been fitted to catch, abundance and fishing mortality time-series. Three drivers were considered during the model fitting: internal forcing by means of the trophic flow controls between the various interacting species groups, and two kinds of external forcing, namely fishing and the environment. The southern Benguela model was fitted to time-series data from 1978 to 2003, the southern Humboldt model to data from 1970 to 2004, and the northern Humboldt to data for a shorter period, 1995-2004. Fishing has been relatively carefully managed in the southern Benguela during the period modelled and previous studies found that most of the resource variability was attributed to internal trophodynamic forcing and to environmental forcing rather than to fishing. By comparison, fishing has been shown to have played a relatively major role in driving ecosystem changes observed in the southern and northern Humboldt models. Bearing in mind the different roles played by each of the drivers in these ecosystems, flow controls between interacting species groups, which improved the fits of the models, were compared across the three ecosystems to determine to what extent the three models supported the hypothesis that upwelling ecosystems function as wasp-waist systems. Secondly, environmental forcing was examined by searching for hypothetical forcing functions, affecting different levels of the foodweb, which improved the model fits. This was an attempt to start to uncover the processes that may be involved in linking the environment to observed ecosystem dynamics and changes in these upwelling ecosystems. Model results confirmed the important ecological role played by small pelagic fish in the studied upwelling ecosystems. For example, the fit of the southern Benguela model to time-series data of catch and abundance was similarly improved when anchovy/sardine-prey and anchovy/sardine-predator interactions were externally forced, supporting the waspwaist hypothesis. In addition, although physical drivers and conditions may differ in their nature or merely their frequency and intensity between systems, and different fishing strategies operate in each of the three ecosystems, model results suggest that these effects are transferred through the ecosystems and manifest themselves as ecosystem changes and observed resource dynamics largely via interactions with small pelagic fish. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new fishing rights allocation system was introduced in South Africa in 2001. The system, its application and the complaints by fishers were assessed. In response to the weaknesses in the 2001 system, a participatory multicriteria decision analysis (MCDA)-based approach was proposed as a new system for evaluating applicants. To test the approach, workshops were held with fishers and the authority responsible for allocating rights. The MCDA system allowed the concerns (criteria) of different stakeholders to be integrated into a coherent framework and for their priorities to be reflected in scores and weights. Simple MCDA approaches, accessible to fishers and the authority, were used to elicit scores and weights, thus providing a record of the process and a theoretically justifiable basis for the use of a weighted sum of scores. Although the perception was that the authority and fishers’ priorities were very different, they proved to be similar and could be accommodated in an integrated system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Fishing in the Tsitsikamma National Park has officially been halted since 2001. However, the desire to fish in the Marine Protected Area remains high among the local communities in Tsitsikamma. This has led to illegal fishing practices in the park. Consequently, the reaction of the local communities was measured using semi-structured questionnaires, informal interactions, personal observations, and through a key informant workshop that was organized in the Tsitsikamma National Park. It was found that responses from local communities to fishing within the park were defined by their residence status, ethnicity, gender, income, and educational level. There is a general understanding by local communities that the purpose of the Tsitsikamma National Park is to conserve nature within its boundaries. However, there is a mismatch in the understanding of the term ‘conservation’ between the local communities and conservation officials of the South African National Parks (SANParks). Local communities consider conservation to include sustainable utilization while conservation officials from the practice pursue absolute protection of the marine fisheries resources. The majority of local communities in Tsitsikamma resent this SANParks ‘no-take’ policy on fishing. They would like access to the fisheries resources in the Tsitsikamma National Park for both subsistence and recreational purposes. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Twenty-four years (1977-2000) of competitive shore angling catch and effort data from the KwaZulu-Natal Coastal Anglers Union for the province of KwaZulu-Natal were analysed. Of a minimum of 117 species recorded, the most commonly caught species were dusky shark (Carcharhintas obscurus) (26%), milk shark (Rhizoprionodon acutus) (18%) and shad (Pomatomus saltatrix) (10%). By weight, the top species were dusky shark (34%) and diamond ray (Gyrnnura natalensis) (19%). All the above species showed considerable inter-annual variation in their respective contributions to annual catch. Probably as a result of changes in fishing patterns, dusky shark and milk shark showed a general decline in percentage contribution to catch over the period, while contributions of lesser guitarfish (Rhinobatos annulatus), giant guitarfish (Rhynchobatus djiddensis), diamond ray (Gymnura natulensis) and brown ray (Himantura gerrardi) increased. Mean overall annual cpue by number and weight showed a non-significant increase over the period, while each of the investigated species showed a constant trend in mean annual weight. There were high proportions of juveniles in the catches of dusky shark (100%), dusky kob (92%) and giant guitarfish (78%). Improvements made to the structure of shore angling competitions and the overall contribution of competition angling to resource management in South Africa is discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: After the end of apartheid, the South African government aimed to support wealth redistribution and poverty alleviation by broadening access to fishing rights, promoting black small, medium and micro-enterprises (SMMEs), and ensuring internal transformation of established companies. Although some fishing rights have been reallocated, most bona fide small fishers have lost out. SMMEs, which government expected would create employment, have struggled. Transformation within established companies remains cosmetic. To ensure real transformation of the fishing industry, the state will have to play a more interventionist role by supporting small emerging enterprises, and ensuring that change takes place in established companies. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Highlights the impact of the Marine Living Resources Act (MLRA) on subsistence fishers and fishing in South Africa. Discussion on the 1998 MLRA; Implementation of the MLRA subsistence provisions.

The paper argues that the reduction of history to “apartheid” has hamstrung efforts to reform the South African fisheries since 1994, by privileging race over class and state. The salience of the latter in the maintenance and reproduction of endemic inequality is demonstrated by a comparison of the current reform process with that in the 1940s. This reveals a series of striking similarities and shows how the initial redistribution agenda in both instances was subverted in favour of a consolidation of monopoly capital and state control over the marine commons. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Reports on the success of a catfish farming project in Dindi district in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. Development of the project by South Africa's electricity provider; Profits of the project; Claim by the South African Centre for Essential Community Services on the huge demand for catfish in the developed world.