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Spearfishing Catch Statistics

Spearfishing is a popular activity in the warm waters off Kwazulu-Natal and a wide variety of fish species is shot by spearos each year. Careful management of the use of fish resources is essential to sustain fishing in the province. Management, in turn, requires good information on the fishery. Information on the catches of spearos is collected by the Kwazulu/Natal Nature Conservation Service (KZNNCS) by means of catch cards.

The information is sent to the Oceanographic Research Institute (ORI) in Durban for analysis on the National Marine Linefish system. By completing catch cards, spearos make a valuable contribution to an improved understanding of the use of our marine resources, and to the future of spearfishing in general.

• Summary Presentation of the Catch Statistics from cards submitted during the Year 2000
• Summary Presentation of the Catch Statistics from cards submitted during the Year 1999
• Summary Presentation of the Catch Statistics from cards submitted during the Year 1998
• Summary Presentation of the Catch Statistics from cards submitted during the Year 1997

TABLE A and B. Showing the most common fish speared in the four KZN regions. 1997-2000.(by number).

Year	Region	Species	Region	Species
1997	South	Garrick	Central	Queen Mackerel
1998	South	Knifejaw	Central	Baardman
1999	South	Natal Fingerfin	Central	Baardman
2000	South	Natal Fingerfin	Central	Queen Mackerel

Year	Region	Species	Region	Species
1997	North	Queen Mackerel	Zululand	King Mackerel
1998	North	King Mackerel	Zululand	King Mackerel
1999	North	King Mackerel	Zululand	Queen Mackerel
2000	North	Queen Mackerel	Zululand	King Mackerel

As spearfishermen, it is very important that we have accurate data regarding spearfishing catches. There are two reasons for this.

1. The first is to monitor the fish stocks and keep them at a sustainable level by bag limits.
2. The second reason is to have accurate data on fish catches to prevent bag limits being placed on fish that do not need them. A very real threat.

By having accurate data from catch return cards a true picture of what is going on in our seas is drawn, and that can only be to the good of all concerned.

IT IS IMPORTANT TO FILL IN A CATCH RETURN FOR EVERY DIVE, WHETHER FISH ARE SHOT OR NOT.