Abstract
A total of 31 invertebrate and 14 macrophyte species was recorded in the by-catch of 311 commercial beach-seine hauls made in False Bay between January 1991 and December 1992. Ecklonia maxima (22%), Codium fragile capense (16%) and Gracilaria verrucosa (9%) dominated the total macrophyte catch of 14,9 tons. The invertebrate by-catch was dominated by the ascidian Pyura stolonifera (18,3 tons) and 10 339 individuals of the brachyuran Ovalipes trimaculatus. Large macrophyte and invertebrate catches were infrequent, the bulk of the total catch being contributed by <10% of the hauls. Dive surveys found no significant differences in abundance or species composition between sites inside and outside the seine area. The beach-seine by-catch did not make a significant contribution to the composition or biomass of material deposited along the driftline. It is concluded that commercial beach-seine netting is not having a significant detrimental effect on the benthic flora and invertebrate fauna of False Bay.
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