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