A quantitative assessment of recreational angling in Durban Harbour, South Africa

Abstract

Durban Harbour is one of the busiest in Africa, its estuarine waters also being a popular angling venue for city-dwellers who pursue their sport from light-tackle boats or from the shores around the 21-km harbour perimeter. Light-tackle boat competition data and shore-angling data from the South African National Marine Linefish System for the years 1976–1991 were used to analyse angler catch rates and catch per species for the Harbour. A total of 85 species of both marine and estuarine-associated ichthyofauna was caught. The Harbour is used as a nursery area by juvenile fish and as a feeding ground and refuge by adult fish. The catch composition varied inter-annually, but it was dominated by the Haemulidae, particularly Pomadasys commersonnii, and the Mugilidae. The majority of fish caught by light-tackle boat anglers were above the minimum legal size, but fell within small size-classes. The catch rate declined over the 16 years, probably attributable to a combination of loss of habitat, flooding in 1987, poor water quality, disturbance by harbour traffic and possibly overexploitation of fish stocks. It is concluded that careful management and efficient policing of the Harbour are essential prerequisites to ensure sustainable catches in the future. © 1994 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.