The Southern Cape Landowners Initiative (SCLI) says more needs to be done to protect the marine resources in the Garden Route.
A Spokesperson Cobus Meiring says several species such as fish, sea birds, turtles and a multitude of aquatic species suffer a decline as a result of "ghost fishing'.
What is ghost fishing?
Derelict fishing gear, sometimes referred to as "ghost gear," is any discarded, lost, or abandoned, fishing gear in the marine environment. This gear continues to fish and trap animals, entangle and potentially kill marine life, smother habitat, and act as a hazard to navigation. Derelict fishing gear, such as nets or traps and pots, is one of the main types of debris impacting the marine environment today. Source:
https://oceanservice.noaa.gov/facts/ghostfishing.html
Ghost fishing in the Garden Route counters concerted efforts to protect fish breeding grounds and nurseries in estuaries.
Meiring is spearheading the SCLI River Corridor Revival Project with the support of the Table Mountain Fund (TMF). The project concerns itself with the management of critical water sources and biodiversity in the Outeniqua Mountains, including the estuaries, wetlands and Klein Brak, Groot Brak, Kaaimans, Touw, Goukamma and Knysna rivers.
He says these estuaries, wetlands and river systems are key to the protection and future survival of diminishing fish stocks along the Southern Cape coastline. However, these river systems are already all badly affected by a reduction of stream flow caused invasive alien plants.
Meiring says the plight of marine species is understated and complex.
According to Meiring more collaboration in protecting marine resources in the Garden Route is required. He says SCLI recognises the importance of the Strandloper Ghost Fishing project and encourages collaboration between conservation organisations in protecting marine resources in the region.
"Aimed at minimising the impact of ghost fishing on fish species and marine resources along the Southern Cape coastline, the Strandloper project is physically removing abandoned and lost fishing gear from our shores, and creating awareness around the issue," says Chris Leggat, a Strandloper project participant.
According to Leggat abandoned fishing gear, including snapped lines, baited hooks, sinkers and nets are all capable of ghost fishing if unattended, without anyone benefitting from the undetected harvest.
Meiring points out that ghost fishing also mitigates concerted efforts to control and regulate over-fishing of selected species by authorities such as SANParks and CapeNature, and requires urgent intervention.
