KwaZulu-Natal: Illegal Gill-Netting Clampdown Leads to Kosi Bay Arrests

The recent arrest of a Chinese shopkeeper and local residents in northern KwaZulu-Natal has revived concerns about illegal gill-netting and the steady decimation of fish populations in the Kosi Bay section of the iSimangaliso World Heritage Site. Kosi Bay, a chain of four clear-water lakes on the border between KZN and southern Mozambique, is one of the most unspoiled lake and estuary systems in the country. Legally protected as a nature reserve since 1987, it also home to a rich variety of marine and freshwater fish that have been harvested in traditional fish traps by the local community for hundreds of years. But population growth and rising unemployment levels in the surrounding region have increased pressure on the fish populations of the four lakes over recent decades, along with a steady increase in illegal gill-netting. Over the past year alone, anti-poaching officers have removed nearly 300 gill nets from the lakes. With a combined length of almost 23km, this wall of nylon netting is long enough to stretch from Sandton City to Midrand, or from the Durban City Hall to Pinetown. Unlike the traditional wood and reed fish traps that allow juvenile fish to escape, gill nets form a virtually impenetrable curtain of synthetic netting which targets fish indiscriminately - catching all species and all sizes of fish in large numbers. Last month, in a joint operation involving nearly 60 police and other law enforcement officers,... Read the full story on Daily Maverick . AllAfrica publishes around 600 reports a day from more than 90 news organizations and over 500 other institutions and individuals , representing a diversity of positions on every topic. We publish news and views ranging from vigorous opponents of governments to government publications and spokespersons. Publishers named above each report are responsible for their own content, which AllAfrica does not have the legal right to edit or correct. Articles and commentaries that identify allAfrica.com as the publisher are produced or commissioned by AllAfrica . To address comments or complaints, please Contact us . AllAfrica is a voice of, by and about Africa - aggregating, producing and distributing 600 news and information items daily from over 90 African news organizations and our own reporters to an African and global public. We operate from Cape Town, Dakar, Abuja, Johannesburg, Nairobi and Washington DC. Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox By submitting above, you agree to our privacy policy . We need to confirm your email address. To complete the process, please follow the instructions in the email we just sent you. There was a problem processing your submission. Please try again later.