A successful operation resulted in the arrest of four poaching suspects in Olifantsbos, in the southern section of the Table Mountain National Park. This was after the Marine Unit received a complaint of a vessel dropping nets in the restricted Olifantsbos zone of the Cape Peninsula on 28 August 2021.
The rubber duck along with the fishing rings and crayfish confiscated from the poachers on 28 August 2021. Picture: SANParks
The Marine Unit were swiftly deployed with the assistance of the City of Cape Town Law Enforcement officer to investigate the complaint. The team apprehended the suspects fishing in the restricted zone, who then attempted to escape.
The suspects were charged with fishing in a restricted zone and being in possession of west coast rock lobsters without a permit. 56 West Coast rock lobsters were confiscated, of which 26 were in ‘berry’ (when females are carrying eggs with them), and 16 were undersized.
The police also confiscated six ring nets and their rubber duck, and the case was opened with the South African Police in Simons Town.
Table Mountain National Park manager, Frans Van Rooyen was grateful for the successful operation commenting: ‘Thank you to our Marine team, Rangers, and the City of Cape Town Law Enforcement Unit for the successful joint operation and for protecting our marine resources’
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Featured image: City of Cape Town’s Marine and Environmental Law Enforcement Unit @City of Cape Town.
