What is Sea Bass?

Chilean Sea Bass is an FDA recognized 'alternative market name' for two similar species, Patagonian Toothfish Dissostichus Eleginoides and Antarctic Toothfish Dissostichus Mawsoni. Patagonian Toothfish show a preference for water in the 5 - 10 degree Celsius range and may be found in latitudes from 40° to 60° South while Antarctic Toothfish occur beyond 50° S and in water temperatures down to minus 1° C. Both species are benthopelagic (living and feeding just above the bottom) and eurybathic (able to tolerate a range of depths) inhabiting depths from under 100 to more than 2000 Meters. Specimens up to 100 Kg in weight and measuring well over 2 M have been recorded. Patagonian Toothfish reach sexual maturity around 10 years of age while their Antarctic cousins mature at about 15. Both may live to 40+. This slow life cycle makes them very susceptible to over-exploitation.

Juvenile Patagonian Toothfish (public domain)

Known as Bacalao de Profundidad (Cod of the deep) in Chile, Patagonian Toothfish was an occasional by-catch of Chilean bottom fishermen until, in 1977, a prospecting US fish trader by the name of Lee Lantz spotted one at a fish market there. Mr Lantz concluded that the white flesh, subtle taste and 'buttery' feel were ideally suited for the US market. The culinary name under which he chose to introduce the fish was Chilean Sea Bass.

Researcher Dr. Christopher Jones with large Antarctic Toothfish (public domain)

So a southern ocean fishery emerged that, by the mid 1990's, had spiraled right out of control and at its peak had an estimated global IUU (Illegal Unreported Unregulated) take over four times the allocated quotas. It took governments and NGOs the next 20 years to regain control. Conservation group Sea Shepherd's much publicized two year long campaign Operation Icefish was instrumental in bringing the last few of the notorious syndicate owned, convenience flagged Toothfish poaching ships to book. The Thunder was scuttled by her crew off Sao Tome in April 2015 while being chased by Sea Shepherd's Sam Simon. The Kunlun was detained in Senegal the same year and the Viking was detained, rigged with demolition charges and blown up by Indonesian authorities in 2016.

Patagonian Toothfish distribution (image compiled by H)

South Africa's Prince Edward Islands EEZ was hit hard by the poaching fleet. According to the CCAMLR 'Fishery Report 2016', an estimated 5000 Tons p/a were taken there illegally in the mid 1990's in addition to a declared catch of around 1000 Tons. By the time the poaching stopped in 2006 fish stocks had collapsed. The zone produced a mere 72 Tons in 2009. The Toothfish population has been showing some signs of a recovery since, but no recognized stock assessment has been done. This lack of information is perhaps the main reason why the fish is not even listed with SASSI. Seafood Watch lists 'our' Toothfish red.

Antarctic Toothfish distribution (image compiled by H)

SA's current Patagonian Toothfish TAC (total allowable catch) is set at 575 Tons per Annum. Fishing is done in sub areas 58.6 and 58.7 and part of area 51 around the Prince Edward Islands. The fishery comprises (FRAP Final list of 01 Dec 2016) four long term (15 year) rights holders fishing two longline vessels. Ziyabuya Fishing has the largest share of the TAC which is 'harvested' by the Koryo Maru No. 11. This vessel is owned by Tafisa, a subsidiary of Japan's Maruha Nichiro corporation who are one of the major players in the global seafood game. The company started by trading fish and later pioneered whaling in the Antarctic although it has been working hard to portray a Whale and Dolphin friendly image of late. The other three rights holders are Bato Star Fishing, Arniston Fish Processors and Suidor Fishing. All three make use of the vessel El Shaddai which is owned by Durban based Braxton Security Services. They, together with I&J who were previous rights holders also utilizing the El Shaddai, only caught an average of 46 % of their quota over the last 10 years. Signs of an unhealthy fishery with a questionable TAC.

Screenshot of 10/06/2017, Tradekey, Toothfish for sale

While the infamous Toothfish syndicate ships appear to be gone it is unclear if all nations are in fact willing and / or able to play along. South Africa, Namibia and Mozambique have shown good intentions but have all been in the headlines before for what amounts to laundering IUU catch. A look on Tradekey for example shows Ngwabe Trading advertising the ability to supply 200 Tons of frozen Toothfish per Month!  See above. If there's not a mistake in their posting one should question where that fish would be coming from.

Trends in Hooks

Up until the turn of the Millennium most South African saltwater anglers fished with a very limited range of hooks. By far the most common style was the ubiquitous Mustad 92247 (and numerous copies thereof) nickel plated 'bait holder' beak hook. Hand-line fishermen used tinned 7255 O'Shaughnessy style hooks which were also the only readily available (and affordable) large hooks as most others stopped around 9/0 size. Then there were the bronzed Aberdeen style hooks as well as the famous 4826 Kendal Round, the latter as popular on GT spoons as for targeting large Musselcracker known to mangle lesser hooks. All were blunt by modern standards and all had barbs.

'J' Hooks: 92247, 4826 Kendal Round, Mustad Big Gun, Daiichi 3111

Modern trends include sharper (eg. 'chemically sharpened') hooks, often with shorter shanks and refinements to the point and bend - Mustad 'Big Gun' and Daiichi 3111 being good examples. Two additional 'recent' trends (in fact both have been seen on bone hooks pre-dating the iron age) are 'going barbless' and the use of 'circle' hooks. Although primarily conservation oriented, hook performance appears to be at least on par.

VMC Sea Circle, original barb, flattened barb

Going barbless is really a no-brainer. While 'off the shelf' barbless hooks are still quite rare barbs are easily flattened (rather than removed) with fishing pliers or, in the case of heavy duty game fish hooks, a crimping tool. Most modern hooks flatten well, unlike the old Kendals whose large barb left a sizable lump. My first exposure to the idea was years ago in a writeup by US angling legends Mark Sosin and Lefty Kreh who wanted to obtain footage of the aerobatics of hooked Tarpon. They theorized that by removing the barbs they would be able to give some slack and 'drop' the fish after the initial aerial displays without having to go through the tug-of-war stages of the fight, thereby maximizing filming time. To their surprise Tarpon were not able to throw barbless hooks with any greater ease while their hook-up ratio had improved. Going barbless is an established practice on our West Coast, in a large part thanks to the efforts of well known researcher Dr. Vincent Taylor. Among WP's rock & surf club fishermen everyone knows about "West Coast (barbless) rules" although I am told that a number of West Coast anglers have switched to circles 'instead'.

False Bay's Jacques Oosthuizen measuring his 'Bronzie' prior to release

According to "The Science of Catch and Release angling" by Dr. Warren Potts of Rhodes University, studies on released fish showed survival rates from 25% to 98% with the valid point made that releasing a fish is only worth it if the fish survives. The handling before release causes stress, hypoxia from air exposure and risk of infection due to scale and mucus removal in addition to tissue damage caused by the removal of the hook. A barb increases the size of the wound and lengthens handling time thereby reducing the chance of survival. Please note that in the case of fish hooked 'deep' anglers are advised to cut the line rather than remove the hook. Studies on released Dusky Kob have shown that very few mouth-hooked fish died but of those that had swallowed the (presumably barbed) hook 73% died when the angler removed the hook while only 16% died when the angler cut the line off near the hook - many being able to expel the hook within 5 days. A study on Bonefish further showed that "barbless hooks were expelled 3,9 times faster when located deep in the oral cavity compared to barbed hooks".

Screenshot, Attwood 2007, CPUE, J-Hook vs Circle

Unlike barbless hooks that are fished much the same way as any similar barbed hook, circles do require some adaptation in technique. Being designed to let a fish hook itself in the side of the mouth after swimming off with the bait, 'striking' will likely result in a 'miss' and the angler should instead 'wind the fish on'. Less seasoned anglers tend to get better hook-up ratios using circle hooks which are therefore regularly used on charter boats. Among experienced anglers tallies are much the same as was shown by Prof. Colin Attwood's research at De Hoop nature reserve. For species such as Galjoen, Musselcracker and Belman catch rates were higher with circle hooks while J-hooks performed better for Elf and White Steenbras. See graph above. The research also confirmed that circle hooks resulted in a far lesser likelihood of hooking a fish in the vulnerable stomach or gill areas and increased the likelihood of hooking a fish in the lip or jaw. See graph below. Noteworthy too is that "The average number of sinkers lost per day by anglers ... dropped from 12 to 4 when they switched to circle hooks".

Screenshot, Attwood 2007, Hooking Tendencies, J-Hook vs Circle

Among the current trend-setters is Hawaii where the NOAA has been actively promoting the use of barbless circle hooks, as much due to accidental hook-ups of endangered Hawaiian Monk Seals and Green Sea Turtles as for the benefit of fish. Whether this is the obvious future or one step too far remains to be seen but their initially reluctant local fishermen are warming up to the idea and barbless circles have already logged a number of wins – with fish around 100 pounds - in Hawaii's famous "Ulua" (GT) tournaments. Way to go!

What Anglers Catch

Perhaps the most commonly cited 'global recreational catch' figures in the academic world, SA's included, are those by Steven J. Cooke and Ian G. Cowx from a 2004 paper titled "The Role of Recreational Fishing in Global Fish Crises". Marine and freshwater combined, per Annum: 47 Billion fish. The 36 % kept amounts to 11 Million metric Tons. Allegedly 12 % of the total global catch… Having already questioned the total global catch in my post "Fake News Fisheries" I decided to download the "Cooke and Cowx 2004" document and I quote:

"Assuming a global human population of 6.33 billion, similar extrapolations of Canadian recreational capture rates would suggest that 47.10 billion fish are landed on a global basis annually, of which 36.3 percent (17.09 billion fish) are harvested, weighing 10.86 million metric tons (assuming a mass of 0.635 kilograms per fish; US Department of Commerce 2003)."

A nonsensical extrapolation made by two respected scientists who acknowledged that "Furthermore, anglers exhibit complex behavior…" With 200 000 Km of coastline and 10 % of the world's freshwater reserves for its 35 Million population Canada has an exceptionally low density of conservation conscious anglers. Therefore it has the grade of fishing now that some countries never had and others had decades ago. Even with a  lower release ratio I would assume the global recreational take to be no more than half. Perhaps 5 Million Tons. Against an inclusive (of IUU and Anchovy) commercial haul of 120!

Sunset fishing at Lovers Lane, Gordons Bay. (Photo credits Gillian GB)

Here in South Africa the last national survey of the marine recreational fishery (by S. L. Brouwer, B. Q. Mann et al.) titled "A survey of the South African shore-angling fishery" was published 1997 in the South African Journal of Marine Science. Its findings led to the introduction of our national marine recreational permit system in 1998. All relevant studies since appear to have been confined to regions and/or competition angling records. According to the document: "The total effort for the South African shore fishery (excluding Transkei and Ciskei) was estimated at 3.2 million angler days'year". Cpue (catch per unit effort) ranged from 0,45 Kg (KZN) to 1,55 Kg (S.Cape) per angler day - see table below. "Total catch for the South African shore-angling fishery was estimated at 4.519.914 fish'year, or nearly 3 million kg·year". Further findings were  that "A large percentage of anglers admitted to disobeying linefish regulations (32%), except with regard to marine reserves (9%)" and that "Released fish were not included, because of the unreliability of angler reports, which can vary between 56 and 152% of the true catch".

Screen-shot, 'A survey of the SA shore-angling fishery', 'cpue'

In 2009/2010 a very thorough KZN survey was conducted by Stuart Dunlop of the ORI with cpue figures of 0,32 Kg or 0,82 fish per angler day (calculated to be 4,6 hours) - a 30 % decline in relation to the ('94 - '96) stats published in 1997. Total shore based catch was estimated to be 250 - 275 Tons p/a. The Dunlop survey also included boat angling data which showed - compared with the shore based results - a 15 fold increase in Kg per angler effort for recreational boat anglers and a 75 fold increase for commercial crews. Total boat based catch was estimated at 450 T for the recreationals, 250 T for charter boats plus approx. 800 Tons p/a for the commercial (ski) boats. There is little boat based - the 2015 Dickens study being limited to SADSAA records - or more recent shore based catch data available on the Cape coast which has likely seen a greater drop in catch per shore angler effort than Natal. And there you have it folks, while our catch statistics are patchy to say the least we don't have to rely on extrapolations of Canadian results.

Thoughts on Live Bait

Live bait is still regularly used by many anglers and at times with excellent results. It is not always the easiest bait to obtain, especially when there are game fish around, and it can also have a distinct 'mind of its own' as to how and where it wants to swim.

Harders (aka Mullet) make superb bait - Dead or Alive!

But, friends and fishermen, the simple reason a hooked 'livie' does not squeal like a 'stuck pig' isn't due to any sensory deficiency but the inability to vocalize its discontent. Back in the water with ample awareness of its predicament and indeed a mind of its own its first reaction is flight - but when the predators of the blue appear the survival tricks come out. Many live bait anglers have had those touching moments when a bait decided 'not today' and some of us have used these to reflect...

Our age old hunting ethics are not confined solely to conserving a 'resource' but are in fact centered around the concept of a 'clean kill'. The respect shown to mammals and birds in that regard is rarely extended to fish and certainly not to any live fish swum as bait. Sport angling starts with choosing rod and reel as a tool as much as a constraint and we may challenge ourselves further by fishing light lines, lures or flies. Saying No to live bait is so easy. Please reconsider your tactics and don't lower your ethics but raise your angling skill - there are always alternatives to live bait.

Offshore Classic 2017

Our local Gordons Bay Boat Angling Club's "Classic" is one of the major annual entries in the Southern African offshore angling calendar. Over the years it has drawn big name anglers and delivered record catches. This year's (29 April to 6 May) event, officially known as the "2017 Furuno Offshore Classic", was an occasion of note. With 154 anglers and a total prize pool of over 550.000 Rands - including a 'boat auction' which alone brought in R180.500 - pressure was on to produce. The weather forecast looked good and expectations were raised further when a 110+ Kg Tuna was caught the day before. And indeed the weather held and anglers produced...

Living the Good Life (photo via GBBAC)

"Top Gamefish" was a 132 Kg Bigeye Tuna caught by Jan-Hendrik Delport off the boat Artemis. The fish was first identified as a Southern Bluefin as is evident by the chalk board entry in the photo below. Second placed fish was a 123,5 Kg Bigeye caught by C. Freiss off the vessel Sea Mone. Places 3 and 4 were taken with yet more Bigeyes of 98,8 Kg and 88,7 Kg respectively. The Biggest Yellowfin this year, placed 5th overall, was landed by P. Groenewalt aboard Kokomo and took the scales to 84,6 Kg. The "Biggest Longfin" prize went to S. van Schoor with a 29 Kg fish caught off Magnuficent. Four other Longies of around 20 Kg were weighed in with the remainder from 13 Kg down. Top boats were Sea Mone followed by Kokomo, Artemis, Magnuficent and Blue Diamond. Main sponsors were Furuno, Carry Cat Marine and South Sea Suzuki.

Jan-Hendrik and his winning fish (photo via GBBAC)

Originally known as the "Broadbill Classic", the inaugural event was held in 1992 and won by local angling legend Mike Casserley with a 176,3 Kg Broadbill Swordfish caught off the boat Amberjack. The fish set a new South African 60 Kg line class record - one of "8 or 9" SA records in addition to two IGFA world records Mike has held during his illustrious angling career - which still stands today. With Erwin Bursik of Ski Boat Magazine fame among the competitors news spread fast and the event quickly became known as one of SA's premier offshore angling competitions. Two years later, in an event which included well known Protea offshore angler Nick de Kock and oceanographer Rudy Van der Elst among the entrants, Gavin Manthe was able to boat a 149,5 Kg Bigeye Tuna. Another SA record, in the 60 Kg line as well as All Tackle class, which still stands to this day and which is just 28 Kg shy of the current world Bigeye record.

Boats heading back to port to weigh in (photo via GBBAC)

In their infinite wisdom our government then (mid-nineties) decided to issue a number of "experimental" Swordfish long-line licenses. It took the long-liners approximately three years to totally decimate the resident Swordfish population with Tuna stocks, especially Bigeye and Southern Bluefin, also on the decline during that time. Mike tells me that the last Swordfish he encountered was one which he tagged in 1996. Thus the competition was eventually renamed "Offshore Classic" and has for most of the past few years been won with 80 - 90 Kg class Yellowfin Tuna. The size of the winning fish has been on a recent upward trend however, edging ever closer to that elusive 100 Kg mark which was eventually surpassed last year with a 105 Kg Yellowfin… And while our Swordfish are 'gone' it's good to see large Bigeye Tuna back in the prizes in 2017.

Spectators eager to see the catch (photo via GBBAC)

Many thanks to Mike Casserley, Leonie Penninkhof from Gordon's Bay Fishing Charters and all my friends at GBBAC for the information and well done to the anglers and organizers involved.

Fake News Fisheries

Ancient wisdom encourages us to 'believe without believing'. And just what does that mean? Well, in the recreational fishing scene that means if someone tells me they just caught a 20 Kg Kabeljou from the local harbor wall then I'll believe that, eh, is what I heard them say... My experience with the more serious rock & surf – and boat – anglers has been that most are actually quite straight talkers. The 'week-enders' are more often the ones with tales. As for the state of the fishery most recreationals will readily acknowledge over-fished and dwindling stocks.

Recreational lure angler with Yellowtail at the famous Rooikrans ledges

The commercial sector, from fishermen to retailers and restaurateurs, appears to function on a different dynamic. The poor state of our stocks is downplayed, the quotas keep coming and the tills keep ringing. A catch statistics search brought up the website of 'aldi nord.de', a major northern hemisphere retail chain. They trade in markets with a higher level of ecological awareness and are apparently one of the better rated retailers in terms of fish and seafood buying ethics. Their 'social responsibilities' page claims, with reference to the SOFIA July 2016 report (released by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN), an annual global wild harvest of 'fish and seafood' of 93.4 Million Tons and a global aquaculture production of 73.6 Million Tons with 31.4 % of Worldwide fish stocks being over-fished. Feel good figures that shouldn't put anybody off a piece of wild caught Hake.

Small longliner pulling Hake in the deep off Cape Point

A closer look at the marine fishery which is what most of us are, after all, concerned about is less appetizing. According to the below table, from the same SOFIA report, the annual marine capture harvest amounts to 81.5 Million Tons which excludes Peruvian Anchovy of 5-10 M Tons as well as the entire IUU (Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated) fishery. Australian research puts the inclusive global marine capture harvest at over 120 Million Tons per annum.

Screen-shot, SOFIA 2016 report

As far as the 26.7 M Tons of marine aquaculture are concerned one should firstly question whether this includes IUU-type content with wild caught or freshwater farmed 'seafood' (eg. Tiger Prawn or Tilapia processed into 'Crab Sticks') tabled as products of marine aquaculture. Secondly one should question what is farmed and what is merely fattened as is common in the Tuna fishery. Then one should consider that much of what is (fish) farmed or fattened is fed with wild caught fish, often at poor conversion ratios. The Bluefin Tuna fattening off Baja is, for example, at around 17:1 with 17 Kg of sardines fed to gain 1 Kg of Bluefin mass.

Screen-shot, SOFIA 2016 report

With a heavily revised marine wild capture to aquaculture ratio (a small portion of this actually being - partially wild fed - fish) let us look at the state of our wild fish stocks as depicted in the graph above… The 31.4% of 'over-fished' stocks of course include many of our prized eating fish like Bluefin Tuna depicted in the graph below. The 10% or so 'under-fished' stocks would include undesirable species and unfishable regions of the ocean - under polar ice or at great depth. This leaves the 'fully fished' stocks with commercial quotas issued to the maximum of 'sustainability' and with an IUU catch still on top.

Screen-shot, Asia-Pacific Journal, Pacific Bluefin Tuna

So, all you ecologically aware seafood lovers out there, please take that feel good poster at your eco-friendly grocer or sustainable sushi bar with a pinch of salt. Choose 'fully fished' over 'over-fished' and can 'farmed' if it's fed on wild caught fish.

Adults Only at Vogelsteen

Along the R44 coastal road just outside Gordons Bay in the direction of Rooi Els is Vogelsteen (Bird Rock in English), a moderately well known fishing and diving spot named after the rocky outcrop frequented by seagulls, terns and gannets. I might add that among Afrikaans speakers the 'bird' part also has a sexual connotation attached. Although I rarely fished there the spot was and still is a favorite of mine for enjoying a bit of afternoon sun or a sunset over False Bay.

Approach to Vogelsteen

On one particularly memorable outing some years ago I had taken Hägar the biker dog along. He was quite a legend in this town, a white staffie by then well into double figures and partly blind and deaf. Despite his age he still enjoyed a bike ride along the coast. Upon our arrival I saw that a small car and a scrambler bike stood at the nearest roadside parking, unusual for a mid week afternoon. I thought it wise to have a look who else was around before letting Hägar roam but saw no-one here nor there… until I stood atop of the northernmost outcrop and looked down upon the ledges below. There sat a dark haired, middle aged fisherman in full Western Province rock & surf club kit. I knew him from somewhere, probably the tackle shop, but not by name and WHAT? Between his legs was the blond head that belonged to the kid kneeling down in front of him! Just at that point the club fisherman looked up at me and the kid jumped up. Well I'd seen enough and took a southerly direction to find a spot to sit, obviously carrying a monstrous smile. A little later I noticed the blond kid sneak through the bushes back to his bike. Then the club guy, who had walked along the bottom ledges, approached me from the front and muttered something vaguely threatening about being better off keeping my mouth shut. "Ja, see no evil and importantly speak no evil Ha Ha" I replied, still unable to wipe the smile off my dial.

Some say Gordons Bay is a small drinking town with a fishing problem and after years of being professionally involved in the fishing scene (and some social drinking too) I knew almost everyone and everyone knew me. As such I was probably the last person any fisherman would want to get busted by while having his helmet buffed. I pondered the implications on someone's reputation and decided that while I would not get drawn into attempts to identify the people involved the story was too good not to tell. Later that afternoon I popped in at fellow custom rod builder Francois' and in his workshop was Greg from GB tackle. "You oakes won't believe what I've just seen…". The following day I was getting phone calls from Betty's all the way through to Table Bay requesting details with the inevitable "but come on and tell us who it was". Occasionally I still get asked the same. Friends and fishermen, I really never knew the guy's name and in all the years since never saw him again.