Long-term catch and effort trends in Eastern Cape Angling Week competitions

Catches from Angling Week competitions between 1999 and 2010 were analysed to examine changes in catch and effort. Over the course of the study period there was a marked drop in the number of competing anglers and a significant reduction in the total number of fish caught (p = 0.026). There was also a significant (p < 0.01) shift in the areas fished by anglers, from predominantly sandy to rocky reef areas. A total of 5 786 fish, representing 46 different species and 24 families, were positively identified from catches recorded on 2 710 catch cards. Due to the inability of anglers to correctly distinguish between Mustelus mustelus and Triakis megalopterus and between Carcharhinus brachyurus and Carcharhinus obscurus, these species were recorded together into two taxa. The most commonly caught species were Argyrosomus japonicus (20.3%), Mustelus mustelus/Triakis megalopterus (13.0%) and Carcharias taurus (11.8%). Mean CPUE for all fish caught, teleosts and elasmobranchs, as well as the top four teleost and elasmobranch species, increased over the course of the study period, with the exception of Pachymetopon grande and C. brachyurus/C. obscurus, which decreased. Only C. brachyurus/C. obscurus exhibited a significant (p = 0.012) decreasing trend in mean annual weight. Many of the species (43.6%) caught during Angling Week competitions were smaller than published estimates of weight-at-50% maturity. These results, from a unique long-term dataset, provide important information towards the sustainable management of the Eastern Cape shore-fishery.Keywords: catch composition, catch per unit effort, shore fishery, South AfricaAfrican Journal of Marine Science 2012, 34(2): 259–26