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www.thevillagenews.co.za
3 June 2020
MY ENVIRONMENT
A protected fishing area to boost the local economy? By Anina Lee
W
e are all aware that the last few months have had a devastating effect on the economy, especially in the Overstrand that relies on tourism. This situation is not likely to change soon. Should we not take the opportunity to rethink ways of boosting local economic development? We know that Hermanus Pieters found a spring of fresh water on the coast of Walker Bay and the town of Hermanus grew up close to it. But it was not just the fresh water that started to attract people to the growing settlement; it was the abundant fish in the bay.
frequently when huge schools of fish entered Walker Bay. Berdine Luyt commented on a run in 1945: “For the last four days, the kabeljou has been running. Everyone is at Kraal Rock, which is almost a solid mass of bodies and lines…” In the 1920s came the trawlers, first steam-powered and later diesel-powered. The trawlers were much bigger and operated with huge nets, netting fish from the stern of the vessels. The fishing industry on which the town relied was threatened. The government of the day persistently refused all attempts to have a reserve or protected area established for Walker Bay. The Times of Hermanus reported in June 1969 that at least three delegations visited Cape Town to plead the case, but to no avail. Another five years passed without action. On 21 February 1974, the Times of Hermanus again reported: “More than 80 fishing trawlers from Hout Bay and further up the West Coast were trawling for anchovies in Walker Bay…”
When the first settlers came to Hermanus in 1855 it seemed that the fish would never run out. For the next 70 years fishermen went out in rowing boats carrying eight men at a time, with fishing lines, and caught the fish one at a time. Fishermen tied their lines to their toes while resting in the boat.
Serial overfishing by trawlers with huge nets destroyed the vast shoals of small fish – anchovies, pilchards and silverfish. Deprived of food, the larger fish left Walker Bay. Record catches started to fade from memory, while politicians and interest groups squabbled over sanctuaries and marine-protected areas and fishing quotas.
Angling from the rocks became a popular pastime and brought many tourists to Hermanus. One such regular was Sir William Hoy, who, as we know, was so enamoured of the quiet village and its fish bounty that he stopped the rail link from Botrivier to Hermanus to prevent the crowds from Cape Town coming to spoil his fun. Later he provided a bus service between the two towns.
In the last two decades, west coast rock lobster has moved into Walker Bay. Their movement is probably related to climate change, but the absence of predator fish means that lobster numbers are not controlled. Large fish would normally prey on immature lobsters, but now more lobsters survive – to prey, in turn, on sea urchins. Urchins provide a safe haven under their protective spines for baby abalone. A cascade of interrelated consequences thus flows from overfishing by trawlers, to a decrease in the wild abalone stock.
The arrival of well-heeled anglers, who spent vacations in hotels, started a fledgling tourism industry in Hermanus. Sadly, these anglers were not conservationists and caught as many fish as they could. Frequently fish that could not be eaten or sold that day were buried along the cliffs. A sort of collective 'anglemania' surrounded the 'run' of a specific fish. Runs occurred quite
Then in 2001the government proclaimed the ‘Walker Bay Whale Sanctuary Marine Protected Area’. However, it is a rather special one designed solely for the protection of whales and boat-based whale watching. Draw a line from the New Harbour in Hermanus straight across the bay to the Gansbaai Harbour – the area be-
ABOVE: This map indicates the ‘Walker Bay Whale Sanctuary Marine Protected Area’, proclaimed in 2001. PHOTO: Walker Bay Boat & Ski-Boat Club
RIGHT: Small-scale fishers rowing the waves. PHOTO: Peter Chadwick tween the line and the shore is the rather small ‘whale sanctuary’. Now draw a line perpendicular to your imaginary line to the shore at Sopiesklip. This effectively divides the whale sanctuary in half. In the half closest to Hermanus (A) boat-based whale watching (BBWW) is allowed only by permit, but fishing vessels are not allowed at all. “No person shall, except on the authority of a permit, operate any boat, vessel or craft of any kind within the Whale Sanctuary Area.” In the half of the sanctuary nearer Gansbaai (B) the restrictions on activities “… shall not apply to vessels authorised to undertake boat-based whale watching in the areas… or to authorised commercial line-fishing, recreational line-fishing and harvesting of seaweed or any other marine resource within the Restricted Area.” Furthermore – and this is important – ”The provisions and stipulations… shall only apply for the period 1 July to 30 November in any year…” In essence, the Protected Area in Walker Bay is exclusively for the protection of whales and whale watching during the whale season and does not extend to the protection of any other marine life. This small whale sanctuary along our shore cannot play the vitally important role of protecting marine habitats and biodiversity that other MPAs (Marine Protected Areas) do.
In the words of Peter Chadwick, African conservation photographer: “With regards to fisheries stock management, MPAs provide benefits to protecting specific life stages of commercial species and in many cases protect the spawning and nursery grounds. These spawning grounds then act as dispersion centres for the supply of larvae and juveniles into the fishing grounds. Through habitat protection, feeding grounds are also protected. With the spill-over of commercial species from MPAs local communities can expect improved catch rates.” Are we going to accept that the days of Hermanus, the fishing village, will never return? Or are we going to keep fighting for the protection of Walker Bay? Is there an opportunity to revive the angling tourism that first made Hermanus so popular? Could small-scale line fishers benefit from increased catches as well as the lucrative sport-angling tourism opportunities? It would require that there be another line drawn from Pringle Bay to Danger Point and that no trawlers be authorised to fish within this Walker Bay ‘Protected Fishing Area’ at any time of year. Isn’t it time to think more creatively about a local vision for the Overstrand? The Whale Coast Hope Spot speaks to this vision – namely the wellbeing of the community and all its components.
