A fishery-dependant monitoring method of the recreational shore-based fishery was undertaken in the Goukamma Marine Protected Area (MPA) on the south coast of South Africa for a period of 17 months. The method used was a roving creel survey (RCS), with dates, times and starting locations chosen by stratified random sampling. The MPA was divided into two sections, Buffalo Bay and Groenvlei, and all anglers encountered were interviewed. Catch and effort data were collected and catch per unit effort (CPUE) was calculated from this. The spatial distribution of anglers was also mapped. A generalized linear model (GLM) was fitted to the effort data to determine the effects of month and day type on the variability of effort in each section. Fitted values showed that effort was significantly higher on weekends than on week days, in both sections. A total average of 3662 anglers fishing 21 428 hours annually is estimated within the reserve with a mean trip length of 5.85 hours. Angler numbers were higher per unit coastline length in Buffalo Bay than Groenvlei, but fishing effort (angler hours) was higher in Groenvlei. Density distributions showed that anglers were clumped in easily accessible areas and that they favored rocky areas and mixed shores over sandy shores. Catch documented between October 2008 and December 2009 included a total of 361 fish, of 27 species from 12 families. Sparidae had the highest contribution (12 species). A Shannon-Weiner diversity index showed that diversity was higher in Buffalo Bay (0.81) than Groenvlei (0.57). Catch composition of retained fish (336 individuals) showed that the six numerically most important species were blacktail (Diplodus sargus capensis) (66 percent of catch), followed by galjoen (Dichistius capensis) at 11 percent, Cape stumpnose (Rhabdosargus holubi), belman (Umbrina robinsonii) and strepie at 3 percent, and elf (Pomatomus saltatrix) at 2 percent. Catch composition of an earlier study in Goukamma (Pradervand and Hiseman 2006) was compared with the present study, as well as data from the De Hoop MPA, which is closed to fishing. A multi-dimensional scaling plot of catch composition showed tight clustering of the De Hoop samples, and high variability among the Goukamma samples. A bray-curtis similarity index and dendrogram of similarity between study sites and study periods showed that there was an 83 percent similarity among De Hoop samples and a 75 percent similarity among Goukamma samples (ignoring the two outliers). The two sites are different with respect to species composition, but this is expected because they are different areas. Differences between time periods in Goukamma (i.e. the previous study versus the present study) were not significant. The most significant result from the catch composition analyses is the high variability among the Goukamma samples. This can be explained by the variable fishing methods used by anglers in Goukamma, compared with the standardized fishing methods used by researchers in De Hoop, and the fact that fish are more abundant and populations are more stable in De Hoop – giving higher sample sizes which reduce the variability in the statistics. Species-specific CPUE was calculated for the six numerically most important species. In both sections, CPUE was highest for blacktail, with an average of 0.133 fish per hour for Groenvlei, and 0.060 fish per hour for Buffalo Bay, over the 12 months. The second highest CPUE values per section were 0.030 for galjoen in Groenvlei and 0.039 for strepie in Buffalo Bay. Remaining CPUE values ranged from 0.014 (belman in Groenvlei) to the lowest value of 0.001 (strepie in Groenvlei). Total estimated CPUE for these six species in the MPA using the estimated effort and catch results amounted to 0.018 fish per hour. An annual estimated 3897 fish were landed in the reserve during 2009. Most fish (n=2481, 64 percent) were caught in the Groenvlei section. Numbers of blacktail were the highest of all species, within both sections (2353 fish). Strepie was the next most common (561 fish), but was caught almost entirely within the Buffalo Bay section (97 percent of individuals), followed by galjoen (548 fish) caught mostly within the Groenvlei section (92 percent of individuals). Size comparisons of the six species between the Goukamma and De Hoop MPAs showed that ranges in size are similar, but there are substantial differences in mean sizes between the two MPAs. Sample sizes of all species from the Goukamma MPA were too small to draw conclusions about stock status, except for blacktail. The Goukamma MPA is a popular fishing destination and angler effort is high. It can be considered a node of exploitation for surf zone fish, for which it provides no protection. Even though the MPA allows shore angling, sustainable fishing practices should be incorporated in management plans if the MPA is expected to protect and conserve its stocks. Of noteworthy concern is the occurrence of illegal night fishing (the public may not enter the reserve between sunrise and sunset) which leads to underestimates of catch and effort (night surveys were not conducted because of safety concerns). It is recommended that more communication should take place between the angling community and the reserve management. Sign boards giving information on species which are under pressure, and why they are under pressure, with a short explanation on their life cycles, is advised. The roving creel survey method was suitable for the study area and delivered statistically rigorous results. I thus recommend that it is continued in the future by management. I make some recommendations for reducing costs of future surveys, as well as for altering the survey design if funds are very limited.

Marine resources, in particular the fishing industry, continue to play a major role in sustaining South Africa’s economy and social development and contribute to employment and security of the local community. Historically, the allocation of fishing rights was conferred upon predominantly white-owned commercial companies by the South African apartheid government. However, with the advent of democracy in 1994, the government had the responsibility to draft a fisheries policy that would aim to redress historical imbalances and this resulted in the introduction of the Marine Living Resources Act 18 of 1998. This dissertation aims critically to analyse whether this statute has been successful in remedying the issue of unequal fishing rights amongst commercial, subsistence, recreational and artisanal fishers. In undertaking this, an evaluation of the several policies that are attached to this statute will be presented and comments will be made in relation to the constitutional and political aspects of this subject. Allied to this, there will be a consideration of how international law influences the introduction of statutes relating to marine living resources. The main approach for this dissertation has been a literature review which included the use of both electronic databases and books available in libraries. The research shows that in spite of the enactment of the Marine Living Resources Act of 1998, artisanal fishers or small-scale fisheries continue to face discrimination and large commercial fisheries continue to dominate the industry. A Small-Scale Fisheries Policy was adopted in June 2012 to remedy the situation but there is currently no implementation plan in place. The major issue however is that the Act itself does not provide a definition for small-scale fishing and it would therefore have to be amended, in order to accommodate this category. / Thesis (LL.M.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2012.

The Groot Marico catchment in the North West Province is a National Freshwater Ecosystem Priority Area (NFEPA) because it represents unique landscape features with unique biodiversity that are considered to be of special ecological significance. Three native freshwater species Amphilius uranoscopus, Chiloglanis pretoriae and Barbus motebensis, have high local conservation importance and B. motebensis is endemic to the catchment and is IUCN-listed as vulnerable. The main objective of this study is to contribute towards the effective conservation of these three species in the Groot Marico River system by assessing their genetic structure to determine whether tributary populations of the three species comprise of one genetic population or whether they are divided into genetically distinct subpopulations, in order to prioritise areas for conservation. The central null hypothesis was that there is no genetic differentiation between tributary populations (i.e., panmixia) of B. motebensis, A. uranoscopus and C. pretoriae in the Groot Marico catchment, North West Province. In total, 80 individuals per species were collected, targeting at least 10 individuals per population from a total of eight populations (seven tributaries and the Groot Marico main stem) and across the study area. Samples were collected by electrofishing and specimens were euthanized using an overdose of clove oil. A sample of muscle tissue was removed for genetic evaluation and the remainder of the specimens served as voucher specimens. For the genetic evaluation, mitochondrial (ND2, cyt b) and nuclear (S7) genes were used. Genetic techniques used were DNA extraction, polymerase chain reaction (PCR), purification and sequencing. From the 240 individuals collected, 123 sequences for B. motebensis, 111 sequences for A. uranoscopus and 103 sequences for C. pretoriae were analysed across all three genes. Statistical analysis included looking at cleaned sequences in order to obtain models using MODELTEST (version 3.06). Population structuring and phylogeographic analysis was performed in Arlequin (version 2000), TCS (version 1.2.1) and PAUP*. Results indicated that for B. motebensis the null hypothesis could be rejected as there were two distinct lineages (the Draai and Eastern lineages) that demonstrated significant divergence in both the ND2 and S7 genes, suggesting historical isolation. The low divergence in the mitochondrial cytochrome b gene (0% < D < 0.8%) suggests that this isolation is not very old and is probably not comparable to species level differentiation. The null hypothesis was also rejected for A. uranoscopus as there were also significant levels of differentiation between tributary populations resulting in the identification of two lineages (the Ribbok and Western lineages). However, for C. pretoriae, the null hypothesis could not be rejected as there was no genetic differentiation between tributary populations i.e., one panmictic population. Therefore, due to each species showing different genetic structuring within the tributary populations, more than one priority area for conservation needs to be implemented. These priority areas of conservation where therefore evaluated based on the current conservation status of the species (B. motebensis being vulnerable on the IUCN Red List), the number of Evolutionary Significant Units for each species and the overall genetic diversity of all three species in the Groot Marico catchment. In total, four tributary populations were conservation priorities areas, these were the Draai, Vanstraatens, Ribbok and Kaaloog tributaries. The Draai, Vanstraatens and Kaaloog tributaries were selected as priority areas for B. motebensis (B. motebensis is considered to be the most vulnerable of all three species). The Draai tributary was selected due to the B. motebensis population within the tributary showing isolation from the rest of the tributary populations. In order to conserve B. motebensis from the Southern lineage, the Vanstraatens and Kaaloog tributaries were selected. Reasons for selecting these two specific tributaries within the Southern lineage were that the Vanstraatens tributary had unique alleles (three Evolutionary Significant Units) for B. motebensis and the Kaaloog tributary had high genetic diversity (HD = 0.889, ND2 gene) when compared to the other tributary populations. The Ribbok and Vanstraatens tributaries were selected as priority areas for the conservation of A. uranoscopus. The Ribbok tributary was selected as it showed isolation from the rest of the tributary populations, as seen with the Draai tributary (B. motebensis) and the Vanstraatens tributary was selected to represent the Western lineage as it had the highest diversity for both genes (ND2 and S7). The Ribbok tributary has the highest prioritisation when compared to the Vanstraatens tributary. Chiloglanis pretoriae occurs within the Draai, Vanstraatens, Ribbok and Kaaloog tributaries, therefore by prioritising these tributaries for conservation, C. pretoriae will in turn be conserved.

The panga, Pterogymnus laniarius (Cuvier, 1830), is a South African endemic sparid fish species. On the Agulhas Bank, South Africa it is a commercially important species, caught as bycatch in the hake directed trawlfisheries and targeted by offshore hook-and-linefishers. Recently there has been considerable interest shown in directing further fishing effort on this species. The lack of a suitable management procedure for teleost bycatch in South Africa was the principal reason for undertaking this study. This thesis investigates aspects the panga's life history, particularly those aspects that have management implications. A full knowledge of this species' distribution and abundance was necessary as this could highlight the existence of any nursery areas, ontogenetic migratory patterns and areas of high spawner biomass. The derived parameter estimates were then included as inputs into stock assessment models to determine the status and productivity of the resource. Growth studies based on sectioned sagittal otoliths revealed that the panga was a relatively slow growing fish with ages of 16 years being recorded. Growth was best described by the von Bertalanffy growth model as Lt=379.4(1-e⁻°·¹³⁽t ⁺ ¹·⁷⁸⁾). Total, natural and fishing mortalities were estimated at 0.36 year⁻¹, 0.28 year⁻¹ and 0.08 year ⁻¹, respectively. Detailed histological examination of the gonads revealed that panga is a late gonochorist, males and females maturing after a non-functional intersexual stage. Females mature at approximately 200 mm fork length or 4 years of age. Reproduction occurs throughout the year although there is a slight peak in winter. Gametogenesis was found to be similar to that of other sparid fishes and marine teleosts in general. The panga feeds predominantly on crustaceans with a distinct ontogenetic shift in feeding habits. Juvenile fish feed predominantly in the water column on mysids after which they move to the benthos. Subadult fish feed principally on ophiuroids and amphipods. Adult fish remain on or near the benthos, feeding predominantly on crabs, and on polychaetes, ophiuroids and fishes to a lesser extent. Several aspects of the panga's biology contribute to its ability to sustain a higher fishing pressure than other sympatric sparid species. These include its late gonochoristic reproductive style, protracted spawning season, maturation before recruitment and preference for soft substratum prey that enables it to utilise large areas of the Agulhas Bank. The panga's longevity, slow growth and low natural mortality rate, however, mitigated against these factors and were considered in the stock assessments. A heterogeneous Geographical Information System (GIS) was developed to analyse the distribution and abundance patterns of the panga. The GIS developed in this thesis makes a significant contribution towards the development of a South African Fisheries Information System to analyse and manage fish resources in general and bycatch resources in particular. The GIS developed in this study combines statistical Generalized Additive Modelling and standard GIS methods. Analysis of fourteen biannual fishery independent biomass surveys, disaggregated by life history stage, revealed that a nursery area for immature fish (<23 cm TL or < 4 years of age) exists on the Central Agulhas Bank. After sexual maturation, approximately 40% of the biomass migrated eastwards, colonising large areas of the Eastern Agulhas Bank.ilie location of the nursery area appears to be a result of the pelagic eggs and larvae being advected towards the coast in an anti-cyclonic gyre, stemming off the Agulhas current and later deposited over the Central Agulhas Bank. The weak bottom currents on the Central Agulhas Bank prevented juvenile loss to the Benguela system. The eurytopy of adult fish to various physical variables such as temperature, dissolved oxygen and stronger currents enabled it to reduce conspecific competition and migrate eastwards with distribution primarily determined by depth. Relative biomass estimates revealed a gradual increase in biomass of 5.5% per annum between 1988 and 1995. Predictions from yield-per-recruit, biomass-per-recruit and spawner biomass-per-recruit analyses showed that there was scope for further exploitation. A FSB₅₀ fishing strategy was considered to be the most appropriate fishing strategy as it did not reduce the spawner biomass-per-recruit to less than 50% of unexploited levels. Effort control was considered the most effective management tool as the age-at-50%-selectivity occurred after age-at-sexual maturity and releasing undersized fish was undesirable due to heavy mortalities resulting from severe barotrauma. The panga resource was also assessed using an age-structured production model. The values for the free parameters of the model were estimated using biomass indices derived from fishery-independent trawl surveys. Although the data were fairly uninformative about the productivity of the resource, the results indicated robustly, that the population has recovered from low levels in the mid-1970's and could sustain higher levels of fishing intensity. Risk analysis calculations were used to assess the sustainability of different catch scenarios. The level of sustainable catch was found to be sensitive to the selectivity pattern of the gear utilised. Both stock assessment methods used in this study to investigate the status of the panga resource showed that the resource could theoretically sustain higher catches. It was found that although the stock could be harvested using available fishing methods, the sympatry of this species with other commercial species was of concern as the latter would form a significant bycatch in a panga directed fishery. The failure of current harvesting methods to address the bycatch problem highlights the management problem in South Africa and stresses the need for creativity by both scientists and fishers in designing new and improved methods for selectively harvesting bycatch fish resources. Considering that no suitable method is currently available to fish the panga stock in a directed fishery the fishery should be managed as status quo until some suitable and efficient gear is developed.

Yellowfin tuna Thunnus albacares is a commercially and economically important fisheries species, which comprises the second largest component of South Africa’s catch of tuna and tuna-like species. Catches of the species off South Africa are treated as two discrete stocks by the two tuna Regional Fisheries Management Organisations (tRFMOs) under whose jurisdictions they fall. Individuals caught off the Western Cape, west of the boundary between the tRFMOs at 20°E, are included in assessment and management of the Atlantic Ocean yellowfin tuna stock by the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT), and those caught east of this boundary are assessed and managed as part of the Indian Ocean stock by the Indian Ocean Tuna Commission (IOTC). The boundary between these stocks is based on the confluence of the two oceans in this region and does not incorporate the population structure of species. For sustainable exploitation of fisheries resources, it is important that the definition of management stocks reflects species’ biological population structure; the fine-scale stock structure of yellowfin tuna off South Africa is therefore a research priority which this study aimed to address by means of population genomics analyses. Yellowfin tuna exhibit shallow genetic differentiation over wide geographic areas, and as such traditional population genetic approaches have limited power in resolving fishery significant population structure in the species. Herein, a population genomic approach was employed, specifically, genome-wide analysis of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) discovered using a next-generation DNA sequencing approach, to confer (i) increased statistical power to detect neutral structuring reflecting population connectivity patterns and (ii) signatures of local adaptation. The mitochondrial Control Region (mtDNA CR) was also sequenced to compare the resolving power of different approaches and to permit coalescent based analyses of the species evolutionary history in the region. Neutral SNP loci revealed significant structure within the dataset (Fst=0.0043; P<0.0001); partitioning of this differentiation within the dataset indicated significant differentiation between yellowfin tuna from the Western Cape and the Gulf of Guinea in the eastern Atlantic Ocean, with no significant differentiation between individuals from the Western Cape and Western Indian Ocean regions. This indicates two population units wherein there is a separation of the Gulf of Guinea from the remaining samples (Indian Ocean including Western Cape) that are largely derived from a single genetic population. This pattern was also supported by assignment tests. Positive outlier SNPs, exhibiting signatures of diversifying selection, suggest that individuals from these regions may be locally adapted, as well as demographically isolated. The mtDNA CR did not reveal any significant genetic structure among samples (Fst=0.0030; P=0.309), demonstrating the increased resolving power provided by population genomics approaches, but revealed signatures of historical demographic fluctuations associated with glacial cycles. Based on the findings of this study, it is suggested that yellowfin tuna caught off the Western Cape of South Africa are migrants from the Indian Ocean population, exhibiting significant genetic differentiation from the Atlantic Ocean Gulf of Guinea individuals, and should thus be included in the assessment and management of the Indian Ocean stock. It is therefore recommended that the boundary between the Atlantic and Indian Ocean yellowfin tuna stocks, under the mandates of ICCAT and the IOTC respectively, should be shifted to approximately 13.35°E to include all individuals caught in South African waters in the Indian Ocean stock.

Over the past few decades it has become recognised that an ecosystem approach is required to manage world fisheries. Management strategies must ensure that non-target (bycatch) as well as target catches are sustainable. To achieve this, detailed commercial catch and biological information is required. The composition of catches made by trawlers operating off the south and west coasts of South Africa was investigated. Distinct fishing areas were identified on each coast, based on target species and fishing depth. Catch composition differed markedly among the areas defined. Although hake Merluccius sp. dominated South Coast catches, a large proportion of the catch was composed of bycatch. On the West Coast, hake dominated catches and this domination increased with increasing depth. On both coasts approximately 90% of the observed nominal catch was processed and landed. Estimates of annual discards suggested that the fishery discarded 38 thousand tons of fish per annum (16% of the nominal trawl catch). The data also indicated that hake discarding, the capture of linefish and the increased targeting of high value species might be cause for concern. Spatial analysis indicated that a variety of factors such as trawling position, catch size and catch composition affects bycatch dynamics. The monkfish Lophius vomerinus is a common bycatch species that has been increasingly targeted by demersal trawlers. This study showed that L. vomerinus is a slow-growing, long-lived species (West Coast males L∞ = 68.50cm TL, t₀ = -1.69yr, K = 0.10yr⁻¹; West Coast females L∞ = 110.23cm TL, t₀ = -1.54yr, K = 0.05yr⁻¹; South Coast sexes combined L∞ = 70.12cm TL, t₀ = - 0.80yr, K = 0.11yr⁻¹), that matures at approximately 6 years of age. These traits could have serious management implications for the species. Per-recruit analysis suggested that the stock might be overexploited, although further investigation is required to confirm this. Solutions were suggested for each of the concerns raised, taking cognisance of the differences observed between the South and West Coasts and the economic dependence of South Coast companies on bycatch. The needs of future research were considered.

The objective of this thesis is to analyse the management and redistribution policies implemented in the South African squid industry. This is done within the broader context of fisheries policies that have been implemented within the South African fishing industry as the squid industry has developed. The study therefore has an institutional basis, which reviews the development of institutional mechanisms as they have evolved to deal fisheries management problems. These mechanisms (which can either be formal or informal) consist of committees, laws and constitutions that have developed as society has progressed. Probably the most prominent of these, in terms of current fisheries policy, is the Marine Living Resources Act (MLRA) of 1998. The broad policy prescription of the MLRA basically advocates the sustainable utilisation of marine resources while outlining the need to restructure the fishing industry to address historical imbalances and to achieve equity. It is this broad objective that this thesis applies to the squid fishery. The primary means of achieving the above objective, within the squid industry, has been through the reallocation of permit rights. These rights also provide the primary means by which effort is managed. A disruption in the rights allocation process therefore has implications for resource management as well. Permits rights can be described as a form of use right or propertY right. These rights are structured according to their operational-level characteristics, or rules. Changing these rules can thus affect the efficiency or flexibility of a rights based system. This is important because initial reallocation of rights, by the Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism (DEAT), was based on an incomplete set of rights. This partly led to the failure of early redistribution attempts resulting in a "paper permit" market. Nevertheless, this thesis argues that redistribution attempts were based on ill-defined criteria that contributed to the failure described above. In addition to this the method through which redistribution was attempted is also questionable. This can be described as a weak redistribution strategy that did not account for all equity criteria (i.e. factors like capital ownership, employment or relative income levels). This thesis thus recommends, among other things, that an incentive based rights system be adopted and that the design of this system correctly caters of the operational-level rules mentioned above. In addition to this a strong redistribution, based on fishing capital, ownership, income and the transfer of skills, should be implemented. / KMBT_363 / Adobe Acrobat 9.54 Paper Capture Plug-in

The introduction, spread and concomitant impacts of non-native species are a global problem. Fish are among the most widely introduced vertebrate groups, with their impacts affecting multiple levels of organisation- from individuals, populations and communities, to entire ecosystems. In South Africa, the largest perceived threat to range-restricted endemic headwater stream fishes is said to be invasion by non-native fishes, however, as is the case elsewhere, invasive impacts are often a case of risk perception rather than actual risk analysis. Two range-restricted headwater species, the Eastern Cape redfin Pseudobarbus afer and the Border barb Barbus trevelyani are redlisted by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as ‘Endangered’, primarily due to invasion by non-native fishes. To investigate invasions in South Africa, and provide a quantitative estimate of the impact of non-native fishes on the two imperilled endemics, P. afer and B. trevelyani, the overall aims of this thesis were to: (A) Provide a literature review on non-native fish invasions in South Africa; (B) Using two case studies on the headwaters of the perennial Keiskamma and episodic Swartkops River systems, investigate the naturalisation-invasion continuum to provide a holistic view of the invasion process in these variable environments. The specific thesis objectives were: (1) Reviewing current knowledge of invasive impacts of non-native fishes in South Africa; (2) Investigating invasibility of headwater stream environments by non-native fishes; (3) Determining the establishment success of non-native fishes, (4) Assessing the spatial and temporal impacts of invasion; (5) Understanding mechanisms responsible for non-native fish impacts; (6) Investigating the threat of non-native fish invasion on the genetic diversity of two the two headwater fishes, P. afer and B. trevelyani. Results from the literature review of fish invasions (Chapter 1) showed that South Africa has a long history of non-native fish introductions, spanning two and a half centuries. Currently, 55 species have been introduced or translocated. Many of these introduced species have become fully invasive (36%). Their impacts also span multiple levels of biological organisation. There was a general paucity of studies on fish invasions (38 studies), however, of those conducted, reviewed studies placed emphases on invasive impacts (25 studies) and the transport, introduction, establishment and spread stages of the invasion process were largely ignored. The two study systems, the Swartkops and Keiskamma Rivers, were heavily invaded and numbers of introduced species surpassed that of natives (Chapter 2, 3 and 5). Headwater streams had varying invasibility and a number of non-native species were successfully established (Chapter 2, 3, 5 and 6). The remainder of the invasions were casual incursions into headwater streams from source populations in mainstream and impoundment environments which were invasion hotspots. Irrespective of establishment, four predatory invaders (largemouth bass Micropterus salmoides, smallmouth bass M. dolomieu, brown trout Salmo trutta and rainbow trout Oncorhynchus mykiss) impacted heavily on native fish communities (Chapter 3, 4 and 5). Two broad types of invasion were documented, top down invasion by non-native O. mykiss and S. trutta and upstream invasion by M. salmoides and M. dolomieu (Chapter 3 and 5). Their impacts included changes in community structure, extirpation from invaded stream reaches resulting in contracted distribution, and isolation and fragmentation of native fish populations. The impacts of non-native predatory fishes were particularly acute for P. afer and B. trevelyani. Where non-native predatory fish occurred, P. afer and B. trevelyani had been extirpated (Chapter 3 and 5). As a result both native species exhibited contracted distributions (>20% habitat loss due to invasion). Upstream invasion by centrarchids isolated and fragmented P. afer populations into headwater refugia, while top down invasion by salmonids excluded B. trevelyani from invaded, more pristine stream reaches, by forcing the species into degraded unsuitable lower stream reaches. Predation also disrupted population processes such as adult dispersal for P. afer, and centrarchid-invaded zones acted as demographic sinks, where adults dispersing through invaded reaches were rapidly depleted. While the Mandela lineage of P. afer exhibited little within or between drainage genetic structuring, B. trevelyani was >4% divergent between drainages, and up to 2% divergent between streams within the Keiskamma River system (Chapter 7). The distribution of genetic diversity for B. trevelyani also indicated that the loss of diversity was imminent without immediate conservation interventions. This thesis has provided conclusive evidence that native fishes are vulnerable to invasion and that non-native predatory fishes have significant impacts on native fishes in Eastern Cape headwater streams. If management and conservation measures are implemented, the unwanted introduction and spread of non-native fishes may be restricted, allowing native fishes opportunities for recovery.

Despite more than a century of introductions, fish invasions are poorly understood in South Africa. This thesis aims to: (1) provide baseline information on the fish fauna in five inland water bodies (four dams: Theewaterskloof, Clanwilliam, Quaggaskloof, and Voelvlei and a natural lake, Groenvlei) in the Western Cape; (2) determine which species were established and provide a baseline of abundance and size structure for monitoring and, (3) make preliminary recommendations for a fishery. First, criteria for determining establishment were developed by undertaking a full biological assessment of bluegill Lepomis macrochirus, a data-poor species in South Africa. This included the assessment of growth rate using validated estimates of age derived from otoliths in two dams (Clanwilliam Dam: Lt=335.9(1−eo.113(t+1.06)); Groenvlei: Lt=287.2(1-e−0.171(t+0.54)). Length at 50% maturity was similar for males (146 mmFL) and females (147 mmFL). Length frequency analysis combined with data on the age and growth and reproduction demonstrated that established populations of bluegill contained several age cohorts as well as mature and juvenile fishes. A meta-analysis was conducted to: (1) compile a list of initial stocking dates for all alien fishes in each waterbody and (2) use angler tournament data to assess for additional species and persistence over time. Data from the meta-analysis was combined with ichthyological survey data to determine establishment success. These data demonstrated that nine non-native species had established in the five water bodies. Clanwilliam Dam had the largest number (7) of non-native species established, Groenvlei (5) and Theewaterskloof, Brandvlei and Voelvlei the lowest with four species. The state of invasion of each species in the province showed that all nine species are categorised as invasive. This information on establishment was then integrated into a framework for rapidly determining what type of fishery would be most suitable for the 5 waterbodies. Potential yield was estimated using morphoedaphic models, were 260 t/yr for Theewaterskloof Dam, 93 t/yr for Voelvlei, 81 t/yr for Brandvlei, 59 t/yr for Groenvlei and 55 t/yr for Groenvlei. The CPUE for Groenvlei was the highest in gill nets with 1.32 ± 1.94 kg/h, then Voelvlei 1.05 ± 1.34 kg/h followed by Brandvlei (0.84 ± 1.48 kg/h), Clanwilliam (0.71 ± 1.55 kg/h) and lastly Theewaterskloof (0.36 ± 0.41 kg/h). Only Theewaterskloof could produce in excess of 100 t/yr but less than 400 t/yr of fish making it suitable for a small scale fishery. The CPUE values of Theewaterskloof were the lowest and a gill net fishery on this water body may not produce sufficient fish for the fishery. All water bodies had a high recreational angling usage, the opening of a small scale fishery could be detrimental to this industry. Subsistence and recreational anglers should be promoted with the possibility of a long line industry targeting Clarias gariepinus.

Dissertation (MTech( Public Management))--Cape Technikon, Cape Town, 2004 / Marine resources play a major role in sustaining the economy and social development of the nation and contribute to national economy, to employment and security of the local community. The South African fisheries management was conducted largel)' with political default. This denied most fishers access to marine resources. Since the democratic election of 1994, the government was left with the challenge to re-allocate rights in a way that would ensure that the under-presentation of historical disadvantaged individuals (HDl's) in the fishing industry would be corrected. The laws and regulations related to marine fisheries were also revised. The Marine Living Resources Act, No. 18 of 1998 attempted transformation in the fishing industry but lacked clear guidelines which led to litigation and crises in the fishing industry as many fishers were unhappy with the whole process. Marine fisheries policy was established and published in 1997 to address those historical imbalances by introducing the fishing right system of allocating rights to represent the national demographics of the country. This report seeks to describe the theory of the South African fishing industry, policy developments and the current status of permit allocation in South Africa. It will also examine the effectiveness in the implementation of the marine fisheries policy for South Africa. It will focus on the distribution of marine resources for commercial fishing purposes.