Catch composition of the commercial beach-seine fishery in False Bay, South Africa

Abstract

A total of 726 447 fish, representing 66 species from 39 families, was recorded in 311 commercial beach-seine hauls made in False Bay between January 1991 and December 1992. Numerically, Liza richardsonii was the most important species, providing 86% of the total catch. The remainder of the catch included 13 teleost species, which shore-anglers regard as angling species and hence not a legitimate target of the beach-seine fishery. The landed proportion of this by-catch was dominated by Seriola lalandi, Pomatomus saltatrix, Lithognathus lithognathus, Argyrosomus hololepidotus and Umbrina canariensis. The reporting of catches by beach-seine fishermen differed in accuracy between species. Accuracy ranged from <1% (Dichistius capensis) to 89% (L. richardsonii). © 1994 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.