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1 FOSAF THE FEDERATION OF SOUTHERN AFRICAN FLYFISHERS PROCEEDINGS OF THE 13TH YELLOWFISH WORKING GROUP CONFERENCE STERKFONTEIN DAM, HARRISMITH 06 – 08 MARCH 2009 Edited by Peter Arderne PRINTING SPONSORED BY: 13th Yellowfish Working Group Conference 2 CONTENTS Page Participants 3 Chairman’s Opening Address – Peter Mills 4 Water volumes of SA dams: A global perspective – Louis De Wet 6 The Strontium Isotope distribution in Water & Fish – Wikus Jordaan 13 Overview of the Mine Drainage Impacts in the West Rand Goldfield – Mariette 16 Liefferink Adopt-a-River Programme: Development of an implementation plan – Ramogale 25 Sekwele Report on the Genetic Study of small scaled yellowfishes – Paulette Bloomer 26 The Biology of Smallmouth & Largemouth yellowfish in Lake Gariep – Bruce Ellender 29 & Olaf Weyl Likely response of Smallmouth yellowfish populations to fisheries development – Olaf 33 Weyl Early Development of Vaal River Smallmouth Yellowfish - Daksha Naran 36 Body shape changes & accompanying habitat shifts: observations in life cycle of 48 Labeobarbus marequensis in the Luvuvhu River – Paul Fouche Alien Fish Eradication in the Cape rivers: Progress with the EIA – Dean Impson 65 Yellowfish Telemetry: Update on the existing study – Gordon O’Brien 67 Bushveld Smallscale yellowfish (Labeobarbus polylepis): Aspects of the Ecology & 68 Population Mananagement– Gordon O’Brien Protected River Ecosystems Study: Bloubankspruit, Skeerpoort & Magalies River & 71 Elands River (Mpumalanga) – Hylton Lewis & Gordon O’Brien Legislative review: Critical review of the legislative framework for angling – Morne 74 Viljoen Smallmouth yellowfish: Status in the Great Kei Catchment – Unathi Tshayingca 86 Status of yellowfish populations in Kwazulu-Natal – Rob Karssing 87 Free State Status Report – Johan Hardy 91 Yellowfish Regional Report for the Western Cape 2008/9 – Martine Jordaan & Dean 93 Impson River Monitoring in Limpopo Province 2009- Mick Angliss & Stan Rodgers 96 Gauteng Report – Piet Muller 101 Northern Cape Regional Report – Carl Nel 103 Yellowfish populations & RHP programme report in NW Province – 2009 : Part 1: Yellowfish Population Status Report – Daan Buijs 111 Part 2: RHP Report Jan.2005 to March 2009 - Hermien Roux & Daan Buijs 117 Main Issues/Concerns Raised & Resolutions taken at the Conference 149 Printing sponsored by: 13th Yellowfish Working Group Conference 3 PARTICIPANTS NAME ORGANISATION PHONE E-MAIL Angliss, Mick Environmental Affairs, Limpopo 015-2959300 [email protected] Arderne, Peter FOSAF Northvaal & YWG secretary 083 4577478 [email protected] Bloomer, Prof.Paulette University of Pretoria 012 4203259 [email protected] Buijs, Daan NW Prov. Conservation Services 083 3202727 [email protected] Buthelezi, Siyabonga Gauteng Nature Conservation 072 1548863 [email protected]. za De Wet, Dr Louis Waterlab 012-3491044 [email protected] Du Toit, Thomas SAVE 082 4196526 [email protected] Filter, Horst Guide & Land owner 034 9950017 none Fouche, Paul University of Venda 072 2831391 [email protected] Gerber, Ruan University of Johannesburg 011-5593442 [email protected] Hardy, Johan Free State Nature Conservation 083 2312768 [email protected] Hinrichsen, Etienne Aqua Eco 082 8221236 [email protected] Jordaan, Martine CapeNature 021-8668019 [email protected] Jordaan, Wikus Council for Geosciences 082 8632935 [email protected] Impson, Dean CapeNature 082 4140020 [email protected] Karssing, Rob EKZN Wildlife & YWG KZN 073 3794323 [email protected] Lewis, Hylton ERYCA & EWT 082 9075164 [email protected] Liefferink, Mariette Fed. of Sustainable Development 073 2314893 [email protected] McGinn, Andrew Komati Gorge 017-8431497 [email protected] Mills, Peter YWG chairman & FOSAF 082 5557972 [email protected] Mincher, Bill FOSAF 011-8878787 [email protected] Muller, Piet Gauteng Nature Conservation 072 1105075 [email protected] Naran, Daksha SAIAB 046-6035800 [email protected] Nel, Carl Northern Cape YWG 072 1997254 [email protected] O’Brien, Gordon Zoology Dept. Johannesburg Univ. 084 5804161 [email protected] Ramoejane, Mpho SAIAB 046-6035800 Rodgers, Stan Environmental Affairs, Limpopo 015-2959300 [email protected] Roux, Hermien NW Prov. Conservation Services 082 4665966 [email protected] Sekwele, Ramogale DWAF 082 5742234 [email protected] Sinclair, Trevor Sundowner Adventures 083 4140391 [email protected] Sinclair, Wayne Sundowner Adventures 083 4140391 [email protected] Tempelhoff, Elize Beeld newspaper 083 3091192 [email protected] Venter, Bernard Eco-Care Trust 083 4442790 [email protected] Viljoen, Morne Environmental lawyer 083 3953929 [email protected] Weaver, David Guide 083 3034230 [email protected] Weyl, Olaf SAIAB 046-6035834 [email protected] Wilkinson, Turner Guide 082 8815789 [email protected] Wolhuter, Dr Louis FOSAF 011 6784156 [email protected] 13th Yellowfish Working Group Conference 4 CHAIRMAN’S OPENING ADDRESS Peter Mills 147 Mariana Ave, Clubview 0157. Email: [email protected] Welcome to the 13th Yellowfish Working Group Conference. Firstly, I would like to extend a special word of welcome to one of the YWG founder members who is also a Vice President of FOSAF, Bill Mincher. Also, welcome to Louis Wolhuter, a member of FOSAF and long time supporter of the YWG. It is also good to see a large number of old faces returning to this event year after year and showing your support. Of course it is good to see a number of new faces as well. The backbone, to my mind, of this conference is the presence and support by the Provincial Conservation Authorities. You at the coal face of conservation and your inputs regarding river health is an important component to this conference. The YWG was started by people like Bill, Louis and Pierre De Villiers to encourage fishing for yellowfish. We all know how popular this has become. But there has been a shift in emphasis over the years to that of having a greater conservation focus and this is because of a collection of complex matters. Surfing the web will show internationally acclaimed organisations like Trout Unlimited have also moved into the conservation realm – it’s a natural progression because good fishing will only take place in a healthy environment and with this comes conservation actions. Another reason for this shift in thinking in this country is because of the rapid deterioration of our river systems. As fly anglers we are on the water and witness, at first hand, the poor state of our rivers and waters. And, the situation is worsening by the day. The main culprits of this problem are the agricultural sector, mining and the local authorities who poorly manage the country’s waste water and sewage systems. The latter issue is seemingly a national dilemma. Anyone involved in conservation action will know that charity begins at home. In other words, any change that comes about for the better is by individuals doing extraordinary things within their own sphere of influence. We are fortunate therefore to have that kind of person at the conference. There is Horst, fighting to protect his own land from prospecting and mining. Not only is he working against mining companies but Government Departments who feel their mandate supersedes everything else. There is CapeNature who wishes to rehabilitate seriously degraded streams in the Western Cape region. Opposition is coming from seemingly friendly sources. The Northern Cape YWG are actively involved in encouraging river conservation by establishing river conservancies and preventing mining in the stream bed of both the Orange and the Vaal Rivers. Mariette Liefferink is actively working against the mining industry and Government who are polluting our ground water in the Krugersdorp area. Free State Conservation have done much to conserve the Vaal by establishing and supporting the Orange/Vaal River Yellowfish Management and Conservation Association. And, Thomas du Toit, who with his team at “SAVE” are doing much to keep the local authorities from polluting the Vaal because of poorly managed sewage facilities. This is where change will happen, at local level, driven by people who are affected by an environmental injustice and are willing to put in the extra effort to fix whatever is wrong. 13th Yellowfish Working Group Conference 5 The strength of the YWG is in our diversity. Our structure is informal, as is our membership. We have no legal mandate to act but serve more as a forum to identify issues and exchange ideas of how to rectify them. To this end the YWG has: • Produced the ‘State of the Yellowfishes in South Africa – 2007’ report in collaboration with the Water Research Commission. • Coordinated and endorsed various scientific studies including the genetic work done in the Orange/Vaal system by the University of Pretoria. • We have been involved at various levels with projects already mentioned above. • We keep members in touch through the circulation of a monthly news letter, and • Hold this workshop/conference on an annual basis in order to keep everyone in touch with those involved, in one or other way, with river conservation, aquatic science/research and fishing. In closing I would like to thank all of you who have come here to make presentations. It is you that are involved at various levels and making that difference I have been talking about. It is also here, with you, where much of the knowledge is held that can help make a difference to our river and aquatic systems.
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