Proceedings of the 8Th Yellowfish Working Group Conference
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FOSAF THE FEDERATION OF SOUTHERN AFRICAN FLYFISHERS PROCEEDINGS OF THE 8TH YELLOWFISH WORKING GROUP CONFERENCE LE PARADISE RESORT, BADPLAAS 13 – 15 MAY 2004 Edited by Peter Arderne PRINTING & DISTRIBUTION SPONSORED BY: sappi CONTENTS Page List of Participants 2 Press Release 4 Welcome address -Bill Mincher (presented by Peter Mills) 6 Fishing Strategies & Tactics for the Nine Yellowfish species – Turner Wilkinson 8 Keynote Address: Mpumalanga Parks Board – Andre Coetzee 10 South African Freshwater Resources: Rights, Duties & Remedies – Morne Viljoen 11 Towards the fomulation of a Waste Discharge Charge System for South Africa - 24 Pieter Viljoen Catchment Management Approach to Conservation: What does it mean? – 34 Dr Wynand Vlok Establishment of the Elands River Conservation Area (ERYCA) – Gordon O’Brien 38 The Effect of Alien Plant Species on the Riparian Zone Water Management – 43 Hannes de Lange & Tony Poulter Fish kills in the Olifants River: Any Solution? – Dr Thomas Gyedu-Ababio 45 Yellowfish Sport Fisheries: Opportunities & Responsibilities – Kobus Fourie 48 Conservancies – A tool for river conservation involving the landowner – Peter Mills 49 Proposed project: Radio Telemetry on Labeobarbus marequensis in the Crocodile River, 54 Kruger National Park – Francois Roux The yellowfish fishery on the upper Komati: A landowners perspective – John Clarke 56 River Health: Managing and Monitoring Rivers on Sappi Plantations – Douglas 60 Macfarlane Iscor Newcastle: Water Strategy – Martin Bezuidenhout 63 Aquatic Biodiversity Conservation in South Africa – Pierre de Villiers 66 Field research update: Assessing the impact of smallmouth bass on the indigenous 67 fish community of the Rondegat River, Western Cape – Darragh Woodford Threatened fishes of Swaziland – Richard Boycott 70 Yellowfishes of Zambia & Mozambique – Roger Bills 76 Identification of conservation units of two yellowfish species: Labeobarbus 78 kimberleyensis & L. aeneus - Paulette Bloomer, Hermann van der Bank & Roger Bills Regional Reports Western Cape – Dean Impson (presented by Darragh Woodford) 80 Free State – Pierre de Villiers 82 Northern Cape – Ramogale Sekwele 85 Gauteng – Piet Muller 86 Mpumalanga – Francois Roux 87 Limpopo – Mick Angliss 89 Summary of Comment & Discussion following each Presentation 91 Workshop Results 96 Main Resolutions 99 Printing & Distribution sponsored by: sappi 8th Yellowfish Working Group Conference 1 PARTICIPANTS NAME ORGANISATION PHONE E-MAIL Angliss, Mick Limpopo Prov, Environ. Affairs 015 2959300 [email protected] Arderne, Peter FOSAF Nothvaal & YWG secretary 083 4577478 [email protected] Beeslaar, Fred Gauteng North, Freshwater Bank 012 3300044 [email protected] Angling Bezuidenhout, Martin Iscor, Newcastle 083 3090334 Martin.Bezuidenhout.iscor.com Bills, Roger SA Institute of Aquatic Biodiversity 046 6035800 [email protected] Bloomer, Prof Paulette University of Pretoria 012 4203259 [email protected] Botha, Francois RAU 082 8545263 [email protected] Boycott, Richard Biologist, Swaziland 09268 [email protected] 4040211 Clarke, John Land owner 082 3398302 Coetzee, Andre Mpumalanga Parks Board 013 7595301 [email protected] a Cowie, Ian Tudor Estates, Land owner 012 3286161 [email protected] De Jager, Rynier Manager, Badplaas Tourism 017 8441630 De Lange, Hannes Working for Water 082 9084801 [email protected] De Villiers, Pierre Free State Tourism, Environ. & 083 2362924 [email protected] EconAffairs/Vaal River Conservancy Filter, Horst Guide & Land owner 034 9950017 Fourie, Kobus Elgro Lodge & Windknot 082 5553121 [email protected] Friese, Guido Land owner, Outdoor Heartbeat 017 8210894 [email protected] Grobler, Johann Freshwater Bank Angling 082 3359146 [email protected] (Conservation) Gyedu-Ababio, Dr SA National Parks 072 5213317 [email protected] Thomas Laubsher, Arno Guide 083 6575736 [email protected] Lochner, George Landowner 082 8241531 Macfarlane, Douglas SAPPI 083 6314351 [email protected] m Malan, Pieter HEAL 013 7333073 [email protected] McGinn, Andrew Land owner, Komati Gorge 017 8431497 [email protected] Mills, Peter FOSAF & Gauteng Nature 082 5557972 [email protected] Conservation Muller, Piet Gauteng Prov. Nature Conservation 011 3309100 [email protected] Nolte, Schalk Author (refer Bernard Venter) O’Brien, Gordon Zoology Dept. RAU 084 5804161 [email protected] Parsons, Johnny AngloGold 082 4529962 [email protected] Pieterse, Jan Land owner, Boshoek 017 8441254 [email protected] Plank, Hester Chair of KZN chapter of YWG 083 8767487 [email protected] Roux, Francois Mpumalanga Parks Board 013 2352395 [email protected] Schroeder, Erwin Private 082 8767487 [email protected] Sekwele, Ramogale Northern Cape Nature Conservation 082 5742234 [email protected] Sinclair, Wayne Guide 011 3154503 [email protected] Smit, Pieter Land owner 082 8051681 Steyn, Dr Gert Consultant ecologist, Exol Group 083 6334665 [email protected] 8th Yellowfish Working Group Conference 2 Todd, Colleen DWAF 084 5814309 [email protected] Van Buynder, Domien iTAG Conservation Project 083 2738525 [email protected] Van der Walt, Hennie Amersfoort Angling Club 017 7531380 Van Druten, Emile Private 082 7815430 [email protected] Van Niekerk, Toby Doornkop Fish & Wildlife Reserve 011 3277620 [email protected] Van Staden, Stephen Scientific Aquatic Services 083 4152356 [email protected] Venter, Adv. Bernard Eko-Care Trust 083 4442790 [email protected] Viljoen, Morne Environmental lawyer 082 3731502 [email protected] Viljoen, Pieter DWAF 082 8080497 [email protected] Vlok, Dr Wynand University of the North 082 2005312 [email protected] Wallington, Keith Private 083 3254120 [email protected] Wilkinson, Turner Guide 082 8850589 [email protected] Williamson, Grant Private 073 1504688 [email protected] Wolhuter, Dr Louis FOSAF 011 6784156 [email protected] Woodford, Darragh Freshwater Research Unit, UCT 021 6503638 [email protected] 8th Yellowfish Working Group Conference 3 PRESS RELEASE: THE RIPARIAN OWNER – KEEPER OF THE RIVER (8TH ANNUAL YELLOWFISH WORKING GROUP CONFERENCE) This year’s Yellowfish Working Group Conference from 13 th to 15 May 2004 was held at Badplaas, in close proximity to the lovely Komati River and its many tributaries. One of the objectives was to highlight the importance of the Mpumalanga region - home to five of the nine yellowfish species as well as the Inkomati chiselmouth. In addition it provided local landowners and other interested parties the opportunity to attend and participate in the forum and in so doing get a better idea of the opportunities yellowfish offer as a resource if properly managed. In the opening presentation Andre Coetzee, head of Conservation at Mpumalanga Parks Board informed the 50 odd delegates of the importance of finding solutions to our conservation problems that will be relevant in African rather than Eurocentric terms. Morne Viljoen, lawyer specializing in environmental law covered the key issue of existing legislation and the inter-relationships between the various acts. As expected his paper elicited considerable discussion. Pieter Viljoen of DWAF presented his department’s plans for curbing the very real problem of pollution and Dr Wynand Vlok spoke on the catchment management approach to conservation. At this stage in the programme it was interesting to note the very close linkage between the papers presented and talks by Gordon O’Brien (Elands River in Mpumalanga) and Piet Muller and Peter Mills of Gauteng Nature Conservation served to reinforce this. A presentation by Kobus Fourie of Elgro Lodge highlighted the opportunities in and responsibilities of the riparian owner, managing an eco-tourism based establishment on the Vaal. After lunch Francois Roux of Mpumalanga Parks Board gave a progress report on the tagging/telemetry project on tigerfish and yellows of the lower Inkomati system and this was followed by an interesting presentation by John Clarke, landowner on the Upper Komati river. The session ended with papers by Sappi, and Iscor (Newcastle) on the excellent progress they had made in conforming to the Water Act of 1998. The final session of the day comprised reports from six of the regions including a report by Richard Boycott of Swaziland. Pierre de Villiers also spoke on Aquatic Biodiversity Conservation and Darragh Woodford from UCT gave an update on the Rondegat River project. Saturday opened with Roger Bills of SAIAB speaking about the yellowfishes of Zambia and Mozambique and Prof. Paulette Bloomer fittingly delivered the last paper on progress made with the very comprehensive genetic study on the important two Orange/Vaal River species - funded by AngloGold. The programme ended with the traditional workshop run by Peter Mills. With input from the previous evening’s meeting of the Scientific Panel, clear guidelines could be formulated on the way forward. Amongst the resolutions passed was that special protection was required for the Witvis of the Western Cape, and there was a need to investigate the impact of wading on the spawning areas in the Vaal as well as an initiative whereby flyfishers will assist researchers 8th Yellowfish Working Group Conference 4 with a tagging project on the Small and Largemouth yellows of the Vaal. In conclusion of the business sessions it was agreed that next year’s conference will be held in April at Elgro River Lodge, close to Potchefstroom. In a relaxing