GARDEN ROUTE NEWS - It's December - the time of year when holidaymakers love to go out fishing and the demand for seafood in restaurants skyrockets.
But, before you catch as many fish as you can or collect bags full of shellfish, remember the limits imposed on certain seafoods. Consider how much seafood you really need and whether you might end up giving it away or wasting it.
George Herald sister paper, the Mossel Bay Advertiser, asked marine biologist Mark Dixon of the Strandloper Project for his advice for seafood lovers who care about marine conservation.
"Someone told me they had enjoyed a 'miniature' sole at a restaurant recently," Dixon says. "Well, if you are being served sole that are undersized - smaller than a man's hand - you should ask pertinent questions at the restaurant."
Dixon says you should ask who supplies the fish and try to find out if the restaurant abides by legislation regarding fish sizes and quantities.
Red list
He urges people not to eat fish that are on the Southern African Sustainable Seafood Initiative (Sassi) red list.
"You can get the Sassi red list of fish on your phone, at https://wwfsassi.co.za/sassi-list/" he says. (The "wwf" at the beginning of the website address stands for World Wide Fund for Nature.) The fish lists are divided into red, orange and green groups. Fish on the red list are threatened. Do not eat them.
Those on the orange list should also be avoided because they are scarce. You can eat the ones on the green list with a clear conscience.
"If you are going fishing, you should note that some species are in season and others out of season," Dixon says. "There are breeding cycles. Shad have a closed season - usually when they are in their reproductive state."
Fishermen should ensure they are not "chasing something that is busy breeding", because this will have a negative impact on the fish population. "Go online and check breeding seasons," he advises.
"Kob (kabeljou) is a threatened species. Fish stocks of kob are incredibly low. Everyone wants kob when they come to the Southern Cape. There is legislation for kob: no fishing at night, yet many fishermen catch them at night."
Bag limit
"Know what is threatened," Dixon urges. "Know what your bag limit is. Catch what you can consume and no more than that. Release everything that is beyond what you can consume. People coming from upcountry catch fish and do not eat them all. They try to catch everything they can. If there is a family of five, two fish are enough. Release all the others. Carry on fishing, but release the others."
People should not brag about the number of fish they catch. "It's especially detrimental if everyone has this bragging mindset."
Fishermen should also not give fish away to friends because it is not guaranteed that friends will eat all the fish.
Spear fishermen should also curb their enthusiasm, Dixon says. Many of them "buy their first spear gun and shoot everything they see".
Bait collection should be done with conservation in mind.
"With a permit, you can collect 30 mussels, but everyone rushes out with family members and takes 90 mussels off the rocks. Then they complain in two weeks' time that there are no mussels. If each family takes 90 mussels, they are all depleted. Mussel reproduction is hindered."
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