Police net big poaching haul
Five boats and 10kms of gill nets intercepted and destroyed
ILLEGAL gill netters operating within the Port of Richards Bay have been dealt a serious setback after no fewer than five poaching boats were found and destroyed by police in a matter of three days last week.
Members of the SAPS ORS Border Control Diving section also recovered five bags of gill nets, each about 2kms in length.
They had been concealed among undergrowth at the mud flats section of the harbour sanctuary – this despite the known presence of crocodiles and hippos.
‘The poachers are clever; they hide the nets at low tide when our boats can’t get to them, and come out at night to plunder the marine resources,’ said one member.
‘These 10kms of nets could catch thousands of fish in a short space of time.’
The poaching is indiscriminate and among their catches Natal snoek, stumpnose, grunter, razorbellies, bream and small sharks, as well as crabs and prawns.
The Chinese-manufactured nets are believed to have come from Mozambique, while the poachers are thought to have crossed the harbour from the eSikhaleni area.
By destroying the boats and nets, criminals are forced to deploy their nets by hand at low tide, severely limiting their opportunities.
They also have to incur extra costs to replace their equipment and nets.
