Shad Season is Now Open

Well guys and girls..

Shad season has officially opened today in South Africa and I am sure that everybody is excited to be able to catch Shad again – whether for the pan or as live bait.

The minimum size for Shad that you may keep is 30cm. The fish is approx 2 years old and has just reached sexual maturity, so more than likely a borderline fish has not even spawned yet.

Also, please be aware that fish shrink after they have been gutted and put into the cooler box, so be safe and put an extra cm or so on – just to be sure.

Unfortunately we have fishermen who absolutely disregard  the regulations that are put into place to ensure that our fish stocks are sustainable. Imagine not being able to take our kids and grandkids fishing for shad….. because there are none left.

Catching undersized fish and exceeding bag limits, is nothing more than stupid, greedy, selfish and indecent. I don’t like to sound harsh, but it is absolutely atrocious how some people catch 50 undersized fish, leave their mess lying around, fight and cause trouble when they are fishing.

If you see fishermen (if we can call them that), breaking the law then please call the Anti Poaching Helpline on 082 233 65 65

Here is some info on the regulations, bag limits and minimum sizes of fish that may be caught in South Africa.

(please double check with the gov gazette for any changes)

FISHING REGULATIONS

1. Prohibited Category – May not fish for, be in possession of, or sell the following:
   • Basking shark (new inclusion)
   • Brindle bass
   • Coelacanth (new inclusion)
   • Great white shark
   • Natal wrasse
   • Pipe fish & Seahorses (new inclusion)
   • Potato bass
   • Sawfishes
   • Seventy four
   • Whale shark (new inclusion)
2. Permitted Category Annexure 7 ( Recreational Fishing) – May fish for and be in possession of subject to bag limits, size limits and closed seasons. MAY NOT SELL CATCH

• See species category Annexure 7 (Government Gazette No 27453 6th April 2005)

Daily Bag Limits Changed:

• 10 species per person per day irrespective of species caught. (applies to Shore & Boat anglers)
• Annexure 7 Species that are not listed fall under the 10 bag limit.
• Listed Species that have a bag limit of over 10 do not apply to this daily bag limit. (Mullet x50)

Bag limits – Following species have had their bag limits changed:

Important: Kob caught from a boat at sea in KZN – 5 per person per day of which 4 or all 5 can be between 40 – 110 cm’s & 1 only may be over 110cm’s

Kob caught from the shore & estuaries East of Cape Agulas ( applies to KZN) – 1 per person per day. 60cm’s

Shad – 4 per person per day in open season (1st December – 30th September)

• Rays, Sharks & Skates (Carteligenouse fish) – 1 specimen per species per person per day.
• Yellowbelly rockcod – 1 per person per day.
• Kob caught from boat in KZN – 5 per person per day of which 4 or all 5 can be between 40 – 110 cm’s & 1 may be over 110cm’s
• Kob caught from estuaries and shore – East Cape Agulhas (applies to KZN) 1 per person per day 60cm’s
• Soldier (santer) – 5 per person per day.
• Galjoen – 2 per person per day.
• Bronze bream – 2 per person per day.
• Garrick – 2 per person per day.
• Shad – 4 per person per day.
• West coast steenbras – 1 per person per day.
• Carpenter (silver fish) – 4 per person per day.
• Geelbek – 2 per person per day.
• Poenskop – 1 per person per day.
• Red steenbras – 1 per person per day.
• Dageraad – 1 per person per day.
• Englishmen – 1 per person per day.
• Red stumpnose – 1 per person per day.
• Roman – 2 per person per day.
• Scotsman – 1 per person per day.
• White mussel cracker – 2 per person per day.
• White steenbras – 2 per person per day.

Bag Limits Introduced – The following species are no longer unlimited. Have now had bag limits imposed:

• Mullet – 50 per person per day.
• Pinky – 10 per person per day.
• Karanteen – 10 per person per day.
• Steentjie – 10 per person per day.
• Fransmadam – 10 per person per day.

Size Limits

Important:

Kob caught from a boat in KZN – you may only be in possession of 4 between 40cm’s – 110cms & 1 of over 110cm’s / Total bag limit 5 or you may have all 5 between 40cm’s – 110cm’s .

Kob caught from the shore or estuary East Cape Agulas (applies to KZN) – you may only be in possession of 1 of 60cm’s or over

Size Limits Increased – The following species size limits have increased:

• Red steenbras – 60 cm’s
• Dageraad – 40cm’s
• Scotsman – 40cm’s
• West coast steenbras – 60cm’s
• Carpenter (silver fish) – 35cm’s
• Yellowbelly rock cod – 60cm’s
• Catface (Spotted rock cod) – 50cm’s
• Kob caught from shore & estuaries East of Cape Agulas (applies to KZN) – 60cm’s x 1 per person per day

Size Limits Introduced – Following species now have size limits imposed:

• Englishmen – 40cm’s

Closed Seasons .

• Shad – Reduced by 1 month (1st October – 30th November)

Species Not Listed On Permitted Species List Annexure 7

• Rock cods not listed on the permitted species list have a bag limit of 5 per species per day.(Can not be over and above total daily bag limit of 10 species)
• All other species not listed have no size limit, but form part of the daily bag limit of 10
  

  Basking Shark Brindle Bass Coelacanth Great White Shark Natal Wrasse

  Pipefish and Sea Horses Potato Bass Sawfishes Seventy Four Whale Shark

  Anchovies	None	None
  Baardman(tasslefish, bellman)	40cm	5
  Banded Galjoen	None	5
  Bill Fish(marlin, sailfish)	None	5
  Blacktail	20cm	5
  Blue Hottentot	None	5
  Bronze Bream	30cm	2
  Cape knifejaw	None	5
  Cape Stumpnose	20cm	5
  Carpenter(silverfish)	35cm	4
  catfish Rockcod	50cm	5
  Chub Mackerel	None	None
  Cutlassfish(walla walla)	None	None
  Dageraad	40cm	1
  Dane	None	5
  Englishman	40cm	1
  Fransmadam	None	10
  Galjoen	35cm	2/closed season 15 October-end February
  Garfishes	None	None
  Garrick(leerfis)	70cm	2
  Geelbek(cape salmon	60cm	2
  Glassies	None	None
  Hake	None	5
  Halfbeaks	None	None
  Horse Mackerel(maasbanker)	None	None
  Hottentot	22cm	10
  John Brown	None	5
  Kingfishes	None	5
  kingklip	None	1
  King Mackerel	None	10
  Kob caught from a boat at sea(Cape Agulhas to Umtamvuna)	50cm	5 but may only be in possession of one Kob greater than 110cm per day
  Kob caught from a boat at sea(KwaZulu-Natal)	40cm	5 but may only be in possession of one Kob greater than 110cm per day
  Kob caught in estuaries and and from the shore(east of Cape Agulhas)	60cm	1
  Kob caught in estuaries and from shore(west of Cape Agulhas)	50cm	5
  Karanteen	15cm	10
  large Spot Pompano(wave garrick)	None)	5
  Leopard Cat Shark	None	1
  Mullets	None	50
  Natal Knifejaw(cuckoo bass)	None	5
  Natal Stumpnose(yellow bream)	25cm	5
  Pinky	7.5cm	10
  Poenskop(black mussel cracker)	50cm	1
  Queen Mackerel	None	10
  Ragged Tooth Shark	None	1
  Red steenbras(copper steenbras)	60cm	1 closed season 1 October-30 November
  Red Stumpnose(miss lucy)	30cm	1
  River bream(perch)	25cm	5
  River Snapper(rock salmon)	40cm	5
  Roman	30cm	2
  Soldier(santer)	30cm	5
  Shad(elf)	30cm	4 closed season1 October-30 November
  Sardines(pilchards and Red Eye)	None	None
  Sauries	None	None
  Scads	None	None
  Scotsman	40cm	1
  Slinger	25cm	5
  Snoek(Cape snoek)	60cm	10
  Southern Pompano	none	5
  Spotted Grunter	40cm	5
  Spotted Gully Shark	None	1
  Springer	None	5
  Steenjie	None	10
  Stonebream	None	5
  Striped Cat Shark	None	1
  Swordfish(broadbill)	25kg	5
  Squid(chokka)	None	20
  Tunas(tunny	None	10
  Albacore(longfin tuna)	none	10
  Bigeye tuna	3.2kg	10
  Bluefin Tuna	6.4kg	10
  Yellowfin Tuna	3.2kg	10
  West Coast Steenbras	60cm	1
  White edge Rockcod(captain fine)	40cm	5
  White musselcracker(brusher, cracker)	60cm	2
  White Steenbras(pignose grunter)	60cm	1
  White Stumpnose	25cm	10
  Wolfherring	None	None
  Yellowbelly Rockcod	60cm	1
  Yellowtail	None	10
  Zebra	30cm	5