5 held for abalone poaching
2004-09-23 22:27
Cape Town - Five poachers were arrested for poaching perlemoen in the protected Millers Point area of False Bay, the Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism said on Thursday.
The men, arrested on Wednesday, were found in possession of 239 perlemoen worth about R30 000. Diving gear and two vehicles were confiscated.
The joint operation by the department and the Table Mountain National Park, followed arrests earlier in the week by marine inspectors of 14 people for the illegal possession of over 1 000 West Coast lobster. Two boats were confiscated.
"Rampant illegal fishing of abalone (perlemoen) has decimated the resource, leading to the closure of the recreational fishery in 2002 in an attempt to recover abalone stocks and prevent the complete closure of the commercial abalone fishery," said department spokesperson Carol Moses.
Millers Point is part of the recently declared Table Mountain marine protected area, which includes all of the coastal waters around the Cape Peninsula from Mouille Point in the west to Muizenberg in the east.
The area is one of the most diverse and productive stretches of coastline in South Africa and needs protection from the exploitation of over-fished species.
- SAPA