A procedure for setting daily bag limits on the recreational shore-fishery of the South-Western Cape, South Africa

Abstract

Individual daily catch records are used to devise a method to estimate the fraction of the recreational catch that can be prevented by a daily bag limit (DBL). This fraction is interpreted as a potential reduction of fishing mortality. The effectiveness of DBLs on the recreational shore-fishery of the Western Cape is assessed using catch data of competition anglers. Only Dichistius capensis, Lithognathus lithognathus, Diplodus sargus capensis and Argyrosomus spp. were species recorded frequently enough for a DBL evaluation. Data from the period 1971-1984 suggest that the DBLs introduced at the end of 1984 were likely to have reduced fishing mortality (F) by 5% for D. capensis, but by no more than 1% for any of the other three species. Data from the period 1985–1992 suggest that the revised DBLs introduced in 1992 further reduced F by 1,9% for L. lithognathus, 0,1% for Argyrosomus spp. and 2,4% for D. sargus capensis. A reduction in the DBL of these three species is proposed. For several species, the reduc...