Rules and regulations

Recreational angling regulations

The Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism has published an information booklet for recreational anglers, containing handy information on the rules pertaining to Marine Conservation and Protected Areas; the regulations governing recreational angling, spearfishing, cast-netting, scuba diving and rock lobster fishing; the obtaining of fishing permits, the bag limits for specific species and other information of value to the ordinary angler. It is available from Marine and Coastal Management Fishery Control offices, the post office or downloaded from the website www.environment.gov.za.

Prohibited species

The following are species on the prohibited list, which means that no person may catch, land or be in possession of:

» Basking shark
» Brindle bass
» Coelacanth
» Great white shark
» Natal wrasse
» Pipefish & seahorses
» Potato bass
» Sawfishes Family
» Seventy-four
» Whale shark

Fishing permits

The law stipulates: A person may obtain a recreational fishing permit from an office authorised by the Minister, subject to the payment of a predetermined fee, to engage in one or more of the following types of recreational fishing: Angling, Spearfishing, Cast-netting and Marine Aquarium Fish.

Recreational fishing permits indicate which kind of fishing will be allowed. A recreational fishing permit entitles the holder to catch fish for his or her own use only and not for the purpose of selling or trading fish.

Limits

Other regulations that recreational anglers must be aware of are: all fish that are landed, except sharks, skates, rays and chimaeras, must have their heads and tails intact so that it can be established that it conforms to the minimum size before they are gutted. Fish caught in contravention of the permit conditions must be returned to the sea with as little injury as possible.

No person may land or be in possession of more than the species-specific bag limits on a given day. Species not mentioned in the bag limit lists have a bag limit of ten, but sharks, rays, skates or chimaeras have a bag limit of one and rockcods have a bag limit of five. There is an overall cumulative daily bag limit of ten, irrespective of the species caught.

The closed seasons for marine fish are as follows:

» Elf/shad and red steenbras: 1 October to 30 November
» Galjoen: 5 October to the last day of the next February