SOUTHERN CAPE NEWS - Despite massive opposition, fishing in Africa’s oldest marine protected areas has been given the final green light.

In November 2015 the Department of Water and Environmental Affairs announced plans to rezone a section of the Tstisikamma Marine Protected Area, which falls within the Garden Route National Park, to allow fishing along about 20% of the protected coastline.

This followed more than 20 years of discussions with local anglers, who felt that they had been stripped of their fishing rights when the MPA was declared more than 50 years ago. They claimed that it had been done without a public participation process.

On December 19, 2016 the department gave final approval for the rezoning when it published the regulations that would go hand-in-hand with the move.

“We are introducing measures to allow responsible angling starting with the registration process which kick-started on December 24, 2016,” Garden Route National Park spokesman Nandi Mgwadlamba said.

She added only Tsitsikamma residents, living between Covie and the Bloukrans River or within the Koukamma area, would qualify would for fishing rights in the rezoned area.

The move to allow fishing in the MPA has however sparked massive opposition from marine conservationists and other stakeholders over the past year, who have said it would not only set a dangerous precedent for other MPAs, but could have a devastating impact on fish stocks.

Opponents even turned to the Pretoria High Court to stop the one of the rezoning phases. On December 15, 2016 an agreement between the South African National Parks (SANParks) and the department was reached to launch a pilot project to test the draft regulations. Three weeks after the launch of the project, the court ordered that it be halted.

Some of the main concerns included the potential damage to fish populations as research had shown that many fish species were resident, slow growing and would be rapidly fished down to levels similar to that found outside the park.

Experts believe some of the fish species found in the park lived up to 30 years and if they were killed it could take another 30 years before they were replaced with fish of a similar age and size. Another concern was that the loss of these large, reproductively important fish in Tsitsikamma would effectively result in fewer fish being caught outside the reserve because of reduced seeding of fish eggs and larvae.

The department and SANParks have however been adamant that strict regulations would mitigate the impact.

These regulations include that no fishing would be allowed outside the demarcated angling areas and that it be prohibited to those without a valid registration card.

Fishing will also only be allowed within normal park “gate times”. Anglers may also only use access routes and pathways specified by SANParks.

All litter and waste must be removed from the park and anglers would have to adhere to bag limits for both bait and fish species.

Fisherman will also only be allowed to catch fish from the shore using a rod and reel or hand line.
Mgwadlamba said various monitoring initiatives would be implemented to evaluate the social and ecological outcomes of recreational resource.
Mgwadlamba added that prospective Tstitsikamma anglers needed to register by bringing along a certified copy of the applicant’s identity document, proof of residency in the specified areas, a copy of a valid recreational angling or bait permit and an ID photograph.

A central registration point will be established at the SANParks offices at the Storms River Village and will be open for registration from 09:00 and 16:00 during weekdays and 09:00 and 15:00 over weekends.