Long-term catch and effort trends in Eastern Cape Angling Week competitions

Abstract

Recreational shore-based angling is one of the most popular sport and outdoor activity pastimes in South Africa with an estimated 412 000 fishers (McGrath et al. 1997). It is a form of linefishing where fish are caught using a hook and line and comprises a social as well as a more formal organized competitive sector (van der Elst 1989). Similar to other components of the linefishery, which include the subsistence as well as boat-based commercial sectors, excessive shore-fishing effort along the Eastern Cape has resulted not only in declining catches (Bennett 1991, Griffiths 1997, Brouwer and Buxton 2002, Pradervand and Govender 2003) but also changes in the species composition of catches (Bennett et al. 1994, Brouwer et al. 1997, Attwood and Farquhar 1999). Stock assessments indicate that many important linefish species are severely overexploited (Griffiths 1997, Hutchings 2000, Mann 2000) and that continued fishing pressure threatens endemic linefish populations. In 1996, shore-anglers alone were responsible for an annual catch of approximately 4.5 million fish, weighing around 3 000 tonnes (Brouwer et al. 1997)