Harvesting harders liza richardsoni in the Benguela upwelling region

Abstract

Harders were fished commercially in the Western Cape even prior to the settlement of Dutch colonialists in 1652. The principal means of exploitation has remained the beach seine, but gill (drift and set) nets and purse-seines have also been used. Yields have increased from about 37 000 fish in 1652 to mostly between 5, 5 and 9, 1 million fish in recent years. Population biology and ecology of the resource are largely unknown, but the existing information about stock identity and structure, distribution, feeding, growth, reproduction and seasonal availability is synthesized. Provisional data are presented on mesh selectivity of gill nets for harders. Management of the resource has been aimed at protecting juveniles, monitoring catches, limiting and phasing out of large-scale purse-seine fishing, limitation of excessive participation in the fishery, enforcement of human presence during fishing operations, and encouragement to diversify fishing effort. Despite the limited scientific knowledge of the resource, appropriate management action and such fortunate resource characteristics as seasonal fluctuation in availability, natural distribution over much of the coastline and a failure of the species to shoal along with other commercially exploited pelagic species have resulted in harvests remaining within the production capacity of the stock and in prevention of growth overfishing. © 1987 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.