Shore-angling catches in the Tsitsikamma National Park, 1989-1995

Catch card returns completed by visitors and locals angling in the fishing area of the Tsitsikamma National Park between 1991 and 1995, as well as results of scientific fishing in the whole park between 1989 and 1991 were analysed. Species composition, catch per unit effort (cpue) and seasonality were determined. Seventy-six percent of the 1 147 catch cards suitable for analysis were submitted by visiting anglers, who caught a total of 1 638 fish weighing approximately 1 522 kg during 4 654 angler-hours. This was almost double the 948 fish, weighing about 611 kg, landed during 1 863 angler-hours by local anglers. A total of 709 fish weighing 774 kg was recorded during the 461 scientific fishing angler- hours. The mean annual cpue of visitors was lower than that of locals (35 @ 1 SE vs. 55 @ 3 SE fish/I 00 angler-hours), while the cpue recorded during the sci- entific fishing throughout the park was 154 fish/100 angler-hours. Species most frequently caught by visitors were Sarpa salpa (22.6 ), Amblyrhynchotes honckenii (19.6 ) and Diplodus sargus capensis (6.7 ), while the catches of locals were dominated by S. salpa (36.7 ), Boopsoidea inornata (21.8 ) and Pomatomus saltatrix (10.4 ). Outside the open fishing area scientific catches were dominated by D. sargus capensis (20 ), Cheimerius nufar (13 ), Pachymetopon grande (9 ) and Dichistius capensis (6 ). Fewer than 2.5 of the bony fish caught in the fishing area weighed more than 3 kg. Catch rates of most species varied seasonally, with the overall cpue of both visitors and locals peaking between October and April. The cpue in the fishing area of the park was at least 2.5 times lower than that recorded in the De Hoop Nature Reserve and Terrace Bay in the Skeleton Coast National Park. However, the cpue recorded during scientific fishing throughout the Tsitsikamma National Park compared favourably with that recorded in other protected areas.