The Fly Fishing Debate - S.A.

FLY(FISH)ING IN THE FACE OF CONSERVATION
 

It has been written that flyfishing is not just a matter of life and death – it is much more serious than that. Trout are touted as either ‘saviours of catchments’ or ‘chainsaws with fins’. Read the vehement debate and let us know what you think. Michelle Nel reports.
 
The ancient and serene sport of flyfishing originated in Scotland. These days there isn’t a single South African province where you cannot flyfish. From trout in Mpumalanga, KwaZulu Natal, Eastern and Western Cape, eastern Free State, North West Province and Gauteng, to yellowfish countrywide. One can even flyfish in the sea for cob, snoek, mullet and many more species.
 
It isn’t flyfishing per se that has opened an ecological can of worms; it is flyfishing for alien species, notably trout. Some flyfishers (with apologies to the galjoen) call trout the ‘national fish’.
 
Trout are not indigenous to the southern hemisphere but British imperialists (and others) have ensured there are now trout on every southern continent except Antarctica.
 
Trout introductions were often championed by state conservationists and their introduction into South Africa took determination. In 1875 the first consignment of British trout eggs perished, followed by 10 000 brown trout ova in 1882. The third shipment in 1883 stocked the Mooi, Bushman’s and Umgeni Rivers.
 
In 1891 brown trout were released into many more Natal rivers. Rainbow trout were reared at Jonkershoek in the Cape in 1898. By 1923, trout had become established in the headwaters of virtually every major drainage system rising in the high berg, from the Cape through to Natal and Lesotho.
 
Pro-Trout
Trout are considered by many to be ‘naturalised aliens’ much like oak trees and Scottish whisky (however, an oak tree hasn’t devoured a yellowwood nor has Scottish whisky seriously rivalled Castle Lager).
 
According to the Federation of Southern African Flyfishers (FOSAF), trout have created a huge industry in aquaculture, property development, manufacturing, retailing and, dare we say, ‘ecotourism’.
 
“Trout introductions were an environmental mistake but you are not going to get rid of them,” says president of FOSAF, Dr Tom Sutcliffe. “Trout are restricted to cooler climates so they cannot spread everywhere.”
 
Trout enthusiasts claim that trout streams within correctly managed catchments brim with aquatic health. Look at Giants Cup Wilderness, they say. The land is unsuitable for farming. Were it not for the trout, the owners might have mismanaged or afforested the land, thus losing biodiversity.
 
Instead, invertebrate communities thrive, as do endemic creatures, from cranes nesting in the wetlands, to the cryptic and extremely rare semi-burrowing tree frog, Leptopelis xenodactylus. Grass Owls, Cape Clawless and Spotted Neck Otters, Fish Eagles, Bearded Vultures, Black Eagles, two species of indigenous minnow and waterbirds.
 
Dr Bill Bainbridge, scientific advisor to FOSAF says that freshwater systems are under threat from more quarters than trout, citing poor agricultural practises which drain rivers or produce run-off of fertilisers and pesticides, as well as improper management of wetlands and catchments.
 
“Landowners need incentives to conserve catchments, such as the ecotourism opportunities provided by flyfishing,” he argues. “Indigenous species should be given conservation priority but trout do represent an economic use of rivers.”
 
FOSAF is sponsoring research by the University of Natal’s Centre for Environment and Development on the value of fish on communal lands. Many rural communities in the Drakensberg and Lesotho have world quality angling sites they could utilise for community ecotourism.
 

• Yellowfish could be liquid gold To its credit, FOSAF established a Yellowfish Working Group in 1997 consisting of 150 correspondents including scientists and fish specialists in 1997 to develop flyfishing for indigenous fish.
• Because of their sensitivity to biological change, yellowfish are being used by scientists as indicators of river health, says past president of FOSAF and chairman of the Yellowfish Working Group, Bill Mincher. The principle threats are alien fish stocking, pollution, high silt levels, water extraction and dam and weir construction without the provision of adequate fishways. Ecologically-aware flyfishers catch and release.
• Compared to trout, yellowfish occur throughout the country. Their popularity is increasing and they become a ‘cash crop’ for farmers who aren’t doing that well. A moratorium has been placed on the restocking of rivers so that the nine yellowfish species will not be inadvertently hybridised. FOSAF adds that in spite of its potential, yellowfish will never rival trout.
• Pot of gold at the end of the rainbow
  “At least 300 000 South Africans flyfish, says Bill Mincher (past president of FOSAF). “Trout has saved the economies of Waterval Boven, Machadodorp, Belfast and Dullstroom.” A study entitled “Economic value of The South African Flyfishing Industry” by JCL Venter of the Department of Economics, Stellenbosch University, calculated the industry as being worth over R100 million to the South African economy per annum in 1996/7.
• The capital value of the production equipment for a hatchery alone was R650 000 in 1997, excluding the land. The average number of employees per tourist development was nine with an average annual remuneration of just over R12 000. The development costs of angling waters were calculated at R256 200 per development. Trout properties would yield 75 percent of income from angling related activities. “The industry seems secure because half of the respondents had been in the industry for over 10 years,” the author wrote. He quoted National Geographic’s estimate that in 1996 the North American fly-fishing industry was worth 277 million dollars on equipment alone.

 
Anti-Trout
Non-native fishes have been described as ‘chainsaws with fins’. Trout prey on invertebrates, larger crustaceans, insects, larvae of virtually all aquatic insects, snails, leeches, other fishes and fish eggs, competing with indigenous fish, aquatic insects, and birds for food. In New Zealand brown trout decimated 100% of invertebrates in some rivers. An aquatic ecologist diving in Dullstroom called it an ‘aquatic desert’.
 
Indigenous freshwater fish are in crisis. According to ichthyologist, Dr Jim Cambray of the Makana Biodiversity Centre, Albany Museum, Grahamstown more than 50% of freshwater fish in some countries are threatened by dams, water abstraction, pollution and the introduction of aliens such as trout. The introduction of Nile Perch into Lake Victoria resulted in the probable extinction of more than 250 fish species.
 
An official working in provincial wetlands protection won’t eat trout on principle, but does recognise their economic importance. He advocates the correct management of fishing waters and their related wetlands. “Besides damaging wetlands, dam builders often remove riparian vegetation,” he says.
 
David Lindley, national manager of the Mondi Wetlands Project, says there are three ways of minimising dam impacts on wetlands:

• Design: plan dams so that water runs back into the river
• position: place dams at the bottom of the catchment or wetland
• Number (of dams): limit dams in a wetland or catchment to maintain water flow and wetland functioning

 
“Dams must comply with guidelines laid down by the Water Act for conserving water quality and quantity in any given catchment,” says Lindley. Kerryn Morrison, national operations manager of the South African Crane Working Group of the Endangered Wildlife Trust (EWT) agrees and has campaigned vociferously to conserve the wetlands of Dullstroom which are habitat to endangered Wattled Cranes Bugeranus carunculatus.
 
 

Source: Endangered Wildlife 47 - www.ewt.org.za

Yellowfish Conservation and Research Project

TELEMETRY PROJECT
The Vaal Orange largemouth yellowfish (Labeobarbus kimberleyensis) and the Vaal Orange smallmouth yellowfish (Labeobarbus aeneus) are endemic to the Orange Vaal River system. The former is recognised as being vulnerable according to the IUCN Red Data Listing process. The latter is under high angling pressure. Both species are sensitive to water pollution, habitat destruction and harvesting pressure. They are both noted as being great angling species while from a conservation point of view they have been identified as charismatic sensitive indicator species.

The study is therefore aimed at getting a better understanding of the behaviour of these two species in order to develop fisheries and habitat (river) management protocols that will enhance their survival and in so doing maintain a healthy ecosystem and a flourishing eco-tourism business. The study took place in a section of the Vaal River, which forms part of the overall Orange Vaal River catchments. The catchments covers Namibia, Botswana, South Africa and Lesotho. This will necessitate the development of management protocols in accordance with international standards.
 
MAIN AIMS OF THIS PROJECT:
To determine the home ranges of the two species.
To determine how environmental variables (flooding, drawdown and temperature) affect the movement of these two species.
 
STUDY SITE:
The study site was on a section of Vaal River below the Orkney weir and before the Bloemhof dam. This section was selected because there was serious commitment to yellowfish conservation and to the project by the landowner. At a specific place in this section of the river most of the work will be done as there is good yellowfish habitat and large numbers of specifically Largemouth yellowfish were caught on a regular basis in this area.
 
METHODS:
Largemouth yellowfish over a fork length of 45 cm will be used while Smallmouth yellowfish over a fork length of 30 cm will be used. This will ensure that fish are sexually active. No fish smaller than 1.5 kg should be tagged as the weight of the tag may impact on their behaviour. An autumn/winter (May to October) tagging period is planned and a spring/summer (September to March). A full time researcher will carry out the tracking, reporting and documentation. Click here for a list of tagged fish.
 
RESULTS OF INITIAL WORK: 
A single Largemouth yellowfish of 45 cm FL was tagged on the 06 December 2005 and was tracked on a daily basis until 05 January 2006. The floods that took place at this time prevented the team from tracking the fish as no boat could be launched. The fish remained within a home range of 200 to 300m. It showed specific short migrations during the day and night. It is assumed that these were associated with feeding regimes. The detailed study will verify the preliminary data.
 
 

 
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Stocking of predatory fish for recreational fishing.

Stocking of predatory fish for recreational fishing
 
(Stocking of fish species into systems in which they don’t belong.)
 
By
 
Linda Nel and Gordon O’Brien
 
The stocking of rivers and dams with predominantly exotic fish for recreational fishing is an activity which occurs on a worldwide scale. These stockings have taken place primarily to attract sports anglers into specific areas where there may either be access to good potential fishing waters and an angling demand for the stocked fish species. Stocking in this way makes sports angling a very lucrative business because very little consideration for the conservation of the systems given. Although some fish stockings endeavours have conservation authority consent, most of the fish stocking are unauthorised and carried out by individuals for recreational sport fishing. Some species which are moved around the world from catchment to catchment include Largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides), smallmouth bass (Micropterus dolomieu), rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss), brown trout (Salmo trutta), brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis), northern pike (Esox lucius), walleye (Stizostedion vitreum) striped bass (Morone saxatilis) and the common carp (Cyprinus carpio). These stocking have resulted in a homogenous fish fauna in many North American, Europe and African counties because most of these stocked predaceous fish replace the indigenous fish occurring in that specific ecological niche. International ecosystem conservation and management is shifting from being focused on supporting recreational fishing along with ecosystem functioning to the conservation of and maintenance of indigenous biodiversity and ecosystem functioning alone.
 
Southern Africa has approximately between 350 and 400 species of freshwater fishes (according to research carried out by SAIAB, Grahamstown). We are not sure of the exact amount of fishes because we are still discovering new species and are realising that we have been making mistakes by calling two or more species the same thing. The new South African National Environmental Management Act: Biodiversity Act recognises all of South Africa’s species and genetic differences within species as national biodiversity which is to be managed and conserved. One of the greatest threats to this diversity of freshwater species in Southern Africa is the introduction of exotic (from regions out of Southern Africa) fishes or non-endemic fishes (from the region which are moved into areas they did not previously occur in) introduced into areas in which they have not historically occurred. By relocating species this national biodiversity is threatened and now there are legal implications to the movement of fishes into non-endemic ecosystems. But these objectives can only be reached if the recreational sports fishermen are encourage helping conserve and protect our natural fish species.
 
 
The implications to moving fishes between catchments and stocking fish:
Each ecosystem contains an assemblage of fish species which all occupy specific ecological niches (place and function/purpose of that species in the ecosystem) of the systems. These niches result in a specific type of ecosystem which functions in a specific way. If additional species are introduced into these systems the natural balance, or so to speak, of the ecosystem is disrupted and a change or ecosystem shift occurs. These shifts often result in some ecological niches being removed from the system or the new species out compete local endemic species for ecological niches. The result is often evident in the form of a loss in the number of species or at least a significant reduction in numbers of species.
 
 
Positive implications:
1. Relocating fish into systems can save species from the brink of extinction. EXAMPLE: A critically endangered population of a small barb the Twee River Redfin from the Western Cape (Barbus erubescens) has been relocated successfully into isolated ‘controlled’ systems in the same catchment. This relocation may save this species from extinction
 
Stocking the same or different species into the system can support impacted populations of fishes. EXAMPLE: The Letaba River in Limpopo historically contained a healthy population of the Bushveld Small-scale Yellowfish (Labeobarbus polylepis) which has become locally extinct. Following the local extinction of this species other organisms in the system have been impacted as a result of gap in the ecological functioning of the system where the ecological niche which this species occupied has been removed.   By relocating the same species from another system into the Letaba River that ecological niche may be re-established and the ecological functioning of the system may return to a state more comparable to the historical unimpacted state.
 
 
Negative implications:
1. Unfortunately the more common effects of the translocation of exotic or non-endemic species are the negative impacts. The most dominant direct impact is direct predation of the species on local species. Once again we have to raise the unfortunate impacts of the Trout and Bass groups of fishes in South Africa. Although the predation impacts of these fishes in some systems are controlled, the general predation impacts of these fishes are widely known. In systems to varying degrees these species out compete the local species and then begin to dominate the systems. The critically endangered state of the Twee River Redfin from Western Cape (Barbus erubescens) can largely be attributed to the out competition of and dominance of Small Mouth Bass (Micropterus dolomieu) in the Twee River system. This type of impact does not exclude some indigenous culprits. The common Sharptooth Catfish (Clarias gariepinus) has had severe impacts on systems in which they did not historically occur. One example is the Elands River in Mpumalanga. This river is isolated from the rest of the Crocodile River catchment by a complex waterfall system. In order to attempt to establish a functioning ecosystem in the new Ngodwana Dam in the Elands River system Sharptooth Catfish were introduces along with another at least seven non-endemic or exotic species. Some Sharptooth Catfish individuals have now established themselves in the Elands River and impacts are starting to become evident.
 
2. Sometimes less obvious but just as if not more important is the impacts of interbreeding. After the introduction of the Nile Tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) into systems in Southern Africa many species have become threatened. These threatened species include the Kariba Tilapia (Oreochromis mortimeri) and the Treespot Tilapia (Oreochromis andersonii). Both these species have become critically endangered in the Zambezi system as a direct result of the introduction of and now dominance of the Nile Tilapia. One more species which may be closer to home is the new threatened status of the Mozambique Tilapia or ‘Bloukurper’ (Oreochromis mossambicus) again as a result of the introduction of the Nile Tilapia.
 
3. Indirect impacts include impacts such as habitat destruction. The Carp (Cyprinus carpio) feeds by digging in the bottom sediments of rivers and lakes. This feeding behaviour stirs up silt releasing nutrients into the system (pest in the Hartebeesport Dam) and fowling up the breeding beds of other species.
 
4. Indirect impacts by competition for food and spawning area’s for example. Again the predacious species introduced into Southern Africa such as the Trout and Bass groups of fishes out-compete indigenous species. Similarly species mentioned such as Carp and the Nile Tilapia compete with indigenous species for spawning beds.
 
Finally an implication of the movement of fishes between catchments which is not really evident is the transport of diseases and parasites for example. Many exotic parasites such as the common Fish Lice (Argulus japonicus) and the Tapeworm (Bothriocephalus acheilognathi), which infects many local Cyprininds, have been introduced on species introduced into local waters. The impact of these parasites is not well understood but research is underway to determine these impacts. 
 
It is time for the world and specifically South Africans anglers to realise the value indigenous fishes can offer. International anglers are beginning to come to South Africa to seek out some indigenous freshwater quarries like a big Yellowfish in the Vaal River for example. They have access to the majority of the other angling species abroad and are now looking to us for that classic ‘African’ experience. How many international fishermen have ever caught a 50 kg catfish or an 11kg Largemouth Yellowfish. So think about the fish species which you are moving around the country and specifically what local species can offer. You’d be surprised just how much our own predaceous species can offer and how much support you’d find by conservation friendly anglers and conservation enthusiasts and authorities. We all want what’s best for these shrinking resources and we just want you to consider alternative methods to promoting angling activities in your areas. We can only conserve the genetic biodiversity of our fish in South Africa if all the fishermen in South Africa become proud of our indigenous fish species and begin to conserve them in their own ways. Remember we don’t want to frown on established or existing angling activities but by continuing to move these exotic species around you are continuing to drive our precious proudly South African species into extinction. This is a crime committed against all South African and our decedents.
 
 
 
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