The beach-seine fishery off Durban, KwaZulu-Natal

Abstract

The beach-seine fishery at Durban was investigated from July 1993 to June 1994. During this period the fishermen completed 270 hauls on 146 days of operation. In total, 119 species of fish as well as squid, cuttlefish and crabs were recorded in the catches. Most of these were small shoaling species belonging to the families Leiognathidae, Engraulidae and Clupeidae. Many species were caught at sizes below their reported size at first maturity. Based on this study and data from the National Marine Linefish System, there appears to be little overlap in the catches of the beach-seine netters and other fishery sectors in the area.