Ski-Boat Magazine

Tag: linefish

  • 40 YEARS DOWN THE LINE

    40 YEARS DOWN THE LINE

    Celebrating the ORI Cooperative Fish Tagging Project

    (Originally published in the May 2025 issue of Ski-Boat magazine)

    MOST South African anglers have heard of the practice of tagging and releasing fish, and many have become regular supporters of it while others think it’s a waste of time and effort tagging fish that could well end up in trawler nets. The Oceanographic Research Institute’s Cooperative Fish Tagging Project (ORI-CFTP) has now been going for 40 years,gathering some truly mindblowing information that certainly proves the project’s worth to both scientists and anglers.
    While scientists are more focused on conserving a species and anglers are more
    interested in catching a new PB,there is a lot of overlap between their interests.
    Gareth Jordaan, the current ORI Tagging Officer, shared some interesting history
    and information about the highly successful project…

    By Gareth Jordaan, ORI Tagging Officer

    THE ORI-CFTP has come a long way since its early beginnings in 1984 and has achieved some remarkable recapture records that highlight the project’s value. One standout case involved a raggedtooth shark that was at liberty for no less than 26.2 years before being recaptured, with its original tag still intact!
    Another remarkable recapture was that of a red steenbras tagged by scientists in the Tsitsikamma MPA and recaptured by ski-boat anglers off Kei Mouth 25.4 years later.
    Other impressive recaptures include a galjoen that travelled 1 200km around Cape Point in just 90 days and a Roman (previously thought to only live for 19 years) that was recaptured after 22 years at liberty in the exact same spot where it was originally tagged.

    Ryan Daly with a GT tagged in Seychelles as part of scientific studies monitoring the movements and activities of Caranx ignobilis in the Indian Ocean.

    The project has also contributed to groundbreaking discoveries about species like the giant kingfish. In 2018 Dr Ryan Daly tagged a 92cm individual in Bazaruto, Moçambique, with both an acoustic and an ORI conventional dart tag, and the fish was recaptured in the same place by a charter boat angler two years later.
    This recapture might not sound like much, but recent discoveries about GTs from tagging research are nothing short of game changing. Thanks to advanced acoustic telemetry technology, researchers have gained fascinating insights into the secret lives of these powerful predators.
    For instance, we now know that all adult GTs found in South African waters migrate annually to southern Moçambique to spawn in a large temporally and spatially predictable spawning aggregation during the summer months (November to January) over the full moon. Once they have finished spawning, individuals return to their own home ranges along the coast, sometimes travelling distances of over 600km in one direction in less than a week! This clearly has profound implications for the future conservation and sustainable use of this species.
    Conventional dart tagging methods used by the ORI-CFTP only capture the release and recapture points, leaving gaps in our understanding of what fish do in between. Acoustic telemetry is now helping to fill in these blanks by using acoustic tags (transmitters) and a large array of “listening stations” to track fine-scale movements, revealing a detailed picture of the movement behaviour of numerous species.
    These exciting discoveries and the success of the project as a whole would not have been possible if it were not for the early pioneers of tagging in South Africa.

    PIONEERS IN SA
    Tagging projects in South Africa have taken various forms over the decades, with varying degrees of success. Many initiatives, despite their good intentions, have faltered due to inadequate data collection or failures to publish the findings. However, amidst these challenges, South Africa’s Oceanographic Research Institute (ORI) has emerged as a beacon of consistency and innovation in marine research.
    Fish tagging in South Africa first gained momentum when Dr David Davies and Dr John Bass, researchers at ORI, started tagging dusky sharks along the KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) coast in the 1960s. Their primary goal was to understand the sharks’ migratory behaviour. Their work laid the foundation for a new era in marine research, and it wasn’t long before others were inspired to take up the challenge.

    Rudy van der Elst was the man behind the start of the ORI-CFTP in 1984.

    One such individual was Rudy van der Elst, who joined ORI in the late 1960s. Interested in what the Americans and Australians were doing with tagging billfish, Rudy was determined to replicate similar efforts in South Africa.
    In the 1970s, with the support of the Sodwana Bay Ski-Boat Club, Rudy spearheaded the country’s first billfish tagging initiative. Armed with a tagging pole and American-made Floy tags, the group ventured into the waters off Sodwana Bay and tagged the first marlin and sailfish off southern Africa.
    Around the same time, Rudy was also focused on a contentious topic: the management of shad/elf. As he pursued his master’s degree, he noticed a significant gap in knowledge regarding whether the shad populations in the Cape waters were the same as those in KZN. This uncertainty sparked the creation of a dedicated shad tagging project, which Rudy led with the help of his colleague Simon Chater.
    Thousands of shad were tagged along the South African coastline, and the results were groundbreaking. From this project, the scientists found that several of the fish that were tagged in the Cape were recaptured in KZN and vice versa, proving that they could be managed as a single stock with the same size limits, bag limits and seasonal regulations.

    BIRTH OF THE PROJECT
    Building on the successes of these projects, 1984 marked the official launch of the ORI-CFTP. The project was Rudy’s brainchild, and he envisioned “a collaborative citizen science project between scientists and anglers to collect information on fish movement patterns, growth rates and population dynamics to help ensure their wise and sustainable use and to create awareness amongst anglers”.
    Rudy’s vision for the ORI-CFTP extended beyond mere data collection. He also saw it as a way to bridge the gap between scientists and anglers, fostering a community united by a shared commitment to marine conservation.

    Elinor Bullen, ORI-CFTP’s first official tagging officer.

    THE UNSUNG HEROES
    Any largescale conservation project has to have the right team in place if it’s going to be successful. Enter Elinor Bullen, ORI-CFTP’s first official tagging officer.
    Elinor was a passionate angler with deep knowledge about fishing, and her organisational skills played a critical role in the early success of the project. Her no-nonsense approach ensured that anglers submitted their tag returns promptly. At a time when digital tools were limited, Elinor meticulously recorded data by hand in logbooks before transitioning to early handheld computers. Her dedication was instrumental in building the project’s credibility and popularity among the angling community.

    Stuart Dunlop was the tagging officer from 2010 to 2018.

    After 26 years of dedicated service in this role, Elinor passed the baton on to Stuart Dunlop in 2010. A recent MSc graduate, Stuart was eager to take on the challenge of expanding the project. He brought a fresh perspective, leveraging the power of technology to modernise ORI-CFTP’s operations.
    Under his leadership, the project embraced social media, launched a dedicated WhatsApp line (079 529 0711), and revamped the tagging website (www.oritag.org.za) so that the project would be more interactive.
    Stuart’s contributions not only increased engagement but also streamlined data collection processes, making the project more efficient and user-friendly. In 2018, Stuart and his wife took up an opportunity to work in the Seychelles, giving me the gap to take over as the new tagging officer.

    Gareth Jordaan took over from Stuart Dunlop as the ORI-CFTP tagging officer in 2018.

    Despite these transitions, the project continued to thrive, thanks in part to the unwavering support of Bruce Mann who managed the ORI Linefish Portfolio for an impressive 31 years until his retirement in 2023.

    TRIUMPHS AND CHALLENGES
    Celebrating its 40th anniversary in 2024, ORI-CFTP stands as a testament to resilience, collaboration, and innovation, but the journey hasn’t always been smooth.
    Like any long-term project, ORI-CFTP has faced its share of challenges, particularly in securing consistent funding. While the support from various organisations such as Sedgewick’s Old Brown, the Tony and Lisette Lewis Foundation and the KZN Department of Economic Development, Tourism and Environmental Affairs, has been invaluable, the uncertainty of future funding remains a constant concern.
    In the early 2000s the project also experienced a dip in participation, with waning interest from anglers and management alike. Fortunately, these quiet years were only a temporary setback in the project’s overall trajectory.
    On the flip side, the highs far outweigh the lows. The ORI-CFTP has grown into one of the most successful marine citizen science projects in Africa, earning recognition on the global stage. Since its inception, the project has recruited over 7 300 anglers, with an impressive average of 483 active members per year. These dedicated participants have collectively tagged more than 387 000 fish, resulting in a notable 6.3% recapture rate with over 24 600 fish recaptured.
    This wealth of data has not only enhanced our understanding of fish movement behaviour and growth rates, but has also informed critical management decisions that have contributed to the sustainable use of South Africa’s linefish resources.

    Bruce Mann managed the ORI LInefish Portfolio for 31 years until his retirement in 2023.

    CONTRIBUTIONS TO SCIENCE, CONSERVATION AND POLICY
    The insights gained from tagging data have been used to refine size and bag limits, set open and closed seasons, and implement other conservation measures.
    Most notably, the role played by the ORI-CFTP in monitoring the effectiveness of our marine protected areas (MPAs) has been phenomenal, giving us a better understanding of the residency of many of our reef fish species, as well as the benefits of spillover from our MPAs.
    One of the most profound achievements of the ORI-CFTP has been its influence on fostering a culture of conservation among anglers.
    The shift towards catch-and-release practices, partly inspired by the ORI-CFTP, has helped ensure greater sustainability of linefish populations.
    The project’s efforts also led to changes in competitive fishing, with some official organisations embracing catch-and-release methods in the mid- to late 1990s already.

    A SHARED MISSION
    At its core, ORI-CFTP is more than just a data collection initiative; it’s a movement that unites anglers, scientists, and fishery managers in a shared mission to better understand and protect marine fish resources.
    By actively involving the fishing community in research, the project has built a bridge of trust and collaboration that benefits both science and management. Participants have not only learned about the movement behaviour and growth rate of their favourite fish species, but have also contributed valuable insights that are critical to the long-term management and sustainable use of these fish populations.
    The project’s success in fostering a conservation mindset among anglers cannot be overstated.
    By educating members on proper fish handling and tagging techniques, the ORI-CFTP has helped ensure higher survival rates for released fish. This ethical approach to fishing has had a ripple effect, encouraging a new generation of anglers to prioritise sustainability over catch and kill.

    LOOKING TO THE FUTURE
    The ORI-CFTP’s journey is a testament to the incredible thngs that can be achieved when people come together for a common cause.
    As we look back on the past four decades, we celebrate the dedicated anglers, scientists and conservationists who have made this project a model for citizen science worldwide.
    Here’s to another 40 years of tagging, learning, and protecting our precious marine linefish resources.

    DID YOU KNOW…
    • Galjoen can travel 1 200km in 90 days.
    • Roman can live for 22 years.
    • South Africa’s GTs migrate to Moçambique to spawn.
    • GT can travel 600km in one week

    ORI CFTP STATS:
    40 years
    7 300 participating anglers
    387 000 fish tagged
    24 600 fish recaptured

  • WHERE TO FISH PART 14

    WHERE TO FISH PART 14

    Angling around Algoa Bay

    By Wayne Gerber

    [Originally published in the May/June 2024 issue of SKI-BOAT magazine]

    WHEN you’re talking fishing around Algoa Bay, there are two things synonymous with this area – chokka (calamari) and big kob.
    We have one of the most stunning coastlines which has a unique beauty of its own, with its beautiful rolling sand dunes along the Woody Cape area in the north of the bay and sandstone cliffs off Cape Padrone. The ocean around here explodes with its bounty and has the most unique and diverse range of species found along the South African coastline.
    The shallow reefs to the north of the bay are known as “The Bushes”, but they have now mostly been incorporated into the Addo Marine Protected Area (MPA) which was promulgated in 2020.
    The Bushes reefs are home to Scotsman, poenskop (Black Mussel-cracker), dageraad, red Roman and by far the greatest number of basterman (soldier or santer) all around South Africa’s coastline. We are also blessed to have some great tuna fishing offshore, and some spectacular specimens have been caught over the years. The Port Elizabeth club’s current yellowfin record stands at an impressive 102kg, and this year we are already up to a 76.3kg fish.
    The controlled fishing area in the northern sections of the bay still holds some good fishing and, with the spill over from the restricted fishing areas of the MPA, there are some good specimens of dageraad and kob and some beautiful red romans among other species in this area.
    Due to the odd shape of the MPA care must be taken to ensure you stay in the areas where it’s legal to fish. Unfortunately most of our historical kob grounds have been swallowed up by the MPA restricted zone, but there are still some good specimens to be found in and around the Sundays River mouth area.

    Beautiful yellowbelly-, catface- and brown rockcod are found in this area, and although ours are not the largest, they certainly can be plentiful at certain times of the year.
    Our waters also shelter red steenbras and geelbek that are found everywhere from the shallow reefs and warmer water all the way out to the deeper reefs on what we commonly call the south-west grounds, up to depths of 80m. Good class linefish such as dageraad and Miss Lucys are also found all the way from 12m depths up to these 70m deep reefs.
    We also have the amazing Bird Island area where some of the best yellowtail fishing is to be had. These fierce warriors or reef donkeys putting up an awesome fight and, pound for pound, I rate them as the strongest fish in the sea. They are certainly not gentlemen, and will happily bang their heads on the reef (and in the process injure themselves) to cut the line, rather than give up.
    They are beautiful fish to boot, and by far my favourite fish to target. They usually enjoy a livebait or a mix of a whole pilchard and a strip of chokka, and if you can keep your squid alive to use as bait then that would be first prize.
    Our fishing area extends all the way up to Boknes, Cannon Rocks and includes Port Alfred, but to concentrate on the area we fish predominantly we will, for the sake of this article, stick to the Algoa Bay area.
    Algoa Bay or Port Elizabeth (now officially Gqeberha) has two deep sea angling clubs, but only Port Elizabeth Deep Sea Angling Club is affiliated to the national body, SADSAA. The email contact for any enquiries is <denise@pedsac.co.za>.
    For anyone wanting to fish these areas, note that only club members may launch out of the Port Elizabeth commercial port, as it is governed and managed by Portnet and their rules and regulations apply. There are, however, temporary and seasonal December memberships available for visitors to the area.
    The next area that is very popular for our anglers is called the Rye Banks. This set of reefs 12 miles east-south-east of the port is frequented by a lot of the local boats from all clubs. It is not a long run in Algoa Bay fishing terms, and is a set of immaculate shallow reefs or banks that holds some yellowtail and a wide variety of other species.
    The most commonly fished area is on the deeper southern side where some good quality carpenters and romans are found, along with the odd geelbek that frequents the area in the autumn to winter time.
    The geelbek usually make their appearance from March through April and May, and used to be prolific in earlier years. Some very good size fish are still to be found after a good south-westerly wind with some long rolling ground swells. The banks also holds a fair number of Miss Lucy’s and even some Scotsman and the odd nice basterman.
    The Western Grounds are, as the name suggests, found on the western side of Algoa Bay and start from the point at Cape Recife stretching all the way up to Sea View. A myriad species can be caught there, including poenskop, romans, Scotsman, Miss Lucy’s, kob, geelbek and rockcod on the shallow and midwater reefs. Hake (stock fish), gurnards and the odd kingklip are found on the deeper shale and muddy bottoms. Carpenters are a pest at the best of times, but some really good quality carpenter can be found on the deeper banks which we commonly refer to as the Crayfish Banks.
    Take note that there is an MPA in front of Sardinia Bay which protects a few shallow water reefs and the shallow water reef fish. In the deeper waters there are pretty good stock fish to be found, and although it’s not a great fighting fish, it surely is one of the best eating fish in our waters.
    Our deeper waters, all the way up to 120m, can be found up to 22 miles offshore, after which you hit the continental shelf drop off and the Agulhas current. This is where our tuna area starts, but they are not limited to this area and have been found as close as one mile off Cape Recife.
    Tuna frequent our waters almost all year round, and we have some amazing tuna at times, with most shoal fish being in the 20- to 25kg range. The larger gas bottles all the way up to a 100kg-plus are usually found in late autumn and early winter.
    The tuna fishing is hard work, as they are usually far off shore – up to 40 miles – and one always needs to take the sea conditions into consideration as the warm Agulhas current sweeps around the corner at Bird Island. The edge of this current is where most of our tuna fishing is done and is the most productive.
    Port Elizabeth also has an area we call The Canyon which is very popular with the locals. As the name suggests, it is an area where the ocean floor drops from 200m all the way down to over 1000m deep.
    This obviously causes some challenging sea conditions but also brings great rewards. The area holds a number of pelagic species such as dorado, marlin and, recently, even some wahoo.
    The weather patterns seem to be changing generally, and in this part of South Africa we are getting a lot more of the tropical conditions in our offshore current area. I believe this is the reason we’re also seeing a change in the species we find in the area.

    TACKLE
    The most popular reels we use for bottomfishing are KP or Scarboroughs, and grinders in the shallower waters. Some anglers still prefer multipliers, but I only use those when I am targeting either yellowtail or yellowfin. My preference is KP or Scarborough in the deeper water from about 50m. I like a grinder on the shallower reefs and, as mentioned, a multiplier on the stronger, bigger fish.
    The most popular line, of course, would be braid, and we mostly use 50 lb line on our grinders, possibly going up to 80 lb when targeting yellowtail.
    I can only tell you what I use, so please don’t take it as gospel. I use a 60 lb fluorocarbon bite trace on the shallow reefs and 80 lb fluorocarbon when I fish deeper. My leader line is monofilament, predominantly 80 lb and up, but I do use 100 lb on the yellowtail.
    My sinkers are 6- or 8 ounce on the shallow reefs up to 35m, and I’ll then switch over to a 10- or 12 ounce sinker when fishing deeper. However, I sometimes go as heavy as a 16 ounce sinker when fishing deep due to the strong current and tide we have from time to time.
    Hooks? Well, that depends on each angler’s preference, but I use circle hooks – 7/0 mainly – and 12/0 Kendal round hooks for stock fish and deeper water species including geelbek and kob.
    I pair my KP 7.5 inch reels with an 8ft Kingfisher Poseidon dorado rod for reef fish and the Poseidon geelbek rod for the kob and geelbek. These rods have a great action and I enjoy fishing them in the deep. I also like an 8 000-10 000 size grinder on a 7ft Okuma jigging stick or flick stick for the reefs.
    For the yellowtail I use a Maxel Transformer 60 multiplier reel on a CT Craftsman Power Rap rod. The rod is high specialised, but the equivalent would be a Jigrex, I guess. These rods are short – 1.2m in length – and are built to put huge pressure on the fish to pull them away from the reef. Yellowtail are dirty fighters, so you need to bully them back.
    The tuna rods are standard, as used anywhere in South Africa, with the Tiagra 50w being the go-to reel. Most of our tuna are caught on the troll, with a few exceptions, and when the stars align and the weather and current play along, we have caught some beautiful tuna on bait as well.
    Marlin are not as prevalent here as they are on the east coast but we do have a couple of them around and they’re caught fairly often. Our biggest marlin caught in these waters was a black marlin caught in 2005 which weighed in at a hefty 425kg. It was caught when it decided to eat a 27kg yellowfin that had been hooked by an angler.
    So yes, when I say we have a wide variety of fish, I mean we have the best of both worlds – bottoms and game fish – and we are spoiled for choice in Port Elizabeth.

Verified by MonsterInsights