February 2017 Monthly Report

With all the seasonal visitors departing, February was a chance for the Rangers to return to “life as normal” – or as normal as Fransmanshoek gets! This report covers the usual monthly activities, as well as an enthusiastic presentation to a nearby school and fixing of the Conservancy bakkie. The Rangers carried out their tasks with pride, joy and a great sense of teamwork this month.

Watch out for the little ocean bubble wrap called the bluebottle, not everything that goes ‘pop’ is pleasant.

Compliance Management

During the month of February, a total of 38 recreational fishing and bait collecting permits were checked by Anton and Kei. Of the 38 permits checked, nine fishermen did not have a valid permit in their possession and were issued a friendly warning. There was a substantial drop in the total licenses inspected, from the 93 that were checked in January. This change illustrates the pressure that is placed on the coastal fish populations over the busy summer season. We urge people to get their fishing licences from their closest post office, as a fine of R300 is usually the penalty for not having a fishing license.

There have also been many reports and siting’s of commercial longliners operating in the Bays of and Visbaai. The Conservancy notifies the Department of Fisheries with a boat name and time, whenever these boats are spotted. These Commercial longliners target sharks and unfortunately each boat, that has been reported, has been permitted to fish anywhere along the Conservancy’s coastline.

2 February 2017

A fleet of commercial long liners that have been seen frequenting the Conservancy’s inshore waters, legally.

Roving Creel Surveys

Many stories have surfaced from literature and from fishermen of the ‘good old days’ when a Grunter run left each fisherman with 4-5 fish. There are many historical photos of fishermen sporting goliath sized Kobs, often as large as a fully-grown man. Today fishermen can catch fish with great ease, aided by the latest technology. The Rangers have even seen fishermen hooking their bait onto drones and then flying it out to sea to capture fish that one cannot reach using conventional methods. This means that most of the ocean is experiencing fishing pressure and is being fished one way or another.

Over the years, the continued pressure on fish populations has caused the reduction of numbers of fish and their sizes. This, despite fishermen now needing a permit to fish, species having size and bag limits and even closed seasons, means that there are still fish species that are in danger of disappearing forever.

A UCT Professor, Colin Attwood, initiated a long-term research program, a Roving Creel, over a decade ago to access the health of the inshore fishery and provide data that could inform the decisions of fishery policymakers. This program is based on a Catch per Unit Effort method to determine the health of inshore populations of fish species. This can indicate if fishing regulations are working and if Marine Protected Areas should expand and/or increase in number. The Conservancy adopted this program in 2009 and has every year since placed a student ranger at the helm of these surveys. After being trained up by Kei, Nicole is currently busy with the Conservancy’s 8th year of data collection for the Roving Creel Survey along the Fransmanshoek Conservancy coastline. Through contributing the data of what each fisherman on our coast is catching, Fransmanshoek will aid this valuable project.

3 February 2017

Kei showing Nicole the ropes of the survey.

Derigging the Fransmanshoek Security Hok

Following a long summer season the area soon returned to its usual quiet state. The Rangers headed to the Fransmanshoek Road to dismantle the temporary security ‘hok’ that was situated there. It is constructed annually at the start of the gravel road, housing a daytime security guard that regulates the vehicle numbers on the peninsula during the festive season. This regulation entails limiting the number of vehicles on the peninsula at any one time in order to protect the vegetation and rehabilitation efforts at the Point. In order to protect the walls of the security hok, from the harsh elements of the sun and rain damage until the next season, the rangers decided to take down the walls and the desk in the structure. Riekie Janse Van Rensburg kindly offered some storage space for the disassembled structure in one of his large farm barns.

Anton and Kei carrying the walls of the gatehouse to the bakkie.

4 February 2017

Bakkie Maintenance

The Conservancy bakkie proved to be quite a handful this month leaving the rangers to do some emergency maintenance. The left steering rod came loose, which disabled the steering of the left wheel. Kei later returned from the field and after a quick introduction to what happened, set out working in the heat of the midday to try and fix the problem. Nicole later joined in to help finish the emergency repair, after which Kei showed her how to replace the tyres of the bakkie. This was an exhausting, but rewarding, activity.

The bakkie was then driven at a snail’s pace into to get the steering fixed, new tires fitted, balanced and a wheel alignment completed. Apparently the bakkie did not need any new parts and a wheel alignment would be sufficient. The problems did not stop there, however, as the very following day the same issue repeated itself. This time Kei wasted no time in calling the service centre, who helped him the previous day. They promptly made their way out to the Conservancy to replace the part free of charge.

Nicole fitting the wheel bolts back into place.

World Wetland Day Presentation

The 2nd of February World Wetland Day was celebrated across and the globe. The rangers felt that they could not miss this opportunity to educate the adults of tomorrow, mainly because wetlands are the core source of many ecosystem services that nature gives us for free. Per the Department of Water Affairs and Forestry, wetlands are worth R40 000 000 000 000 worldwide; this amount was listed in 2003. Now imagine the price of wetlands 14 years later! They have become more vital than ever, especially in South Africa, which is largely an arid country, as wetlands store and filter our water. The conservation and rehabilitation of wetlands has become more needed in recent years

5 February 2017 because wetland abuse is very real, with about half of South Africa’s wetlands already destroyed by many negligent practices. This is likely due to a lack of understanding and education.

The Rangers decided to stop this train in its tracks and called the Brandwacht EK Primary School and arranged an informative presentation with a class of 25 Grade 7 pupils. A fun, interactive presentation about wetlands and their importance was given and then afterwards the class was divided into activity groups. The groups were left to build their own miniature wetland in a 2l coke bottle using rocks, grass, sand and twigs that each represented a component in a wetland. This practical model showed them some of the filtration processes and properties that would occur on larger scales in a wetland so that they could understand the ecosystem service it provides. All in all, it was a fun and successful day of environmental education for the kids and for the rangers.

Anton, Nicole and the Grade 7’s with their wetlands proudly displayed

Beach Clean ups

A few coastal clean ups were completed during the month. The biggest effort was the clean-up of the Saal Rocks: one of the most popular fishing spots at Fransmanshoek Point, which already has a history with the Rangers. A comment in the information centre visitor book on the sorry state of the Saal kick- started the rangers into an investigation of the fishing spot. Anton and Nicole made their way to investigate the Saal on the 1st of the month and were greeted with a disgusting sensory experience. The Saal was covered in trash, even though there is a perfectly good bin at the Saal, installed there from past experiences, and bins at the parking lot which are regularly cleaned out.

The Rangers were appalled by the lack of respect fishermen are showing for our natural terrestrial and marine environment. If one can take one’s fishing gear and snacks up to the Saal, why can’t one also throw the resulting rubbish away in the provided bins or take it back to discard at home? There must be a lack of education because the plastic litter can easily be blown into the ocean by strong winds or swept away by massive waves, where it will have devastating effects on marine and birdlife.

Even though the ocean looks like a huge watery dumpsite, the problem manifests elsewhere by pollution landing on a beach or aimlessly drifting at sea, resulting in marine mammals getting entangled in the rubbish and dying. More dangerous to humans is the possibility of litter being ingested by fish or marine mammals and then the toxic chemicals being released in their bodies. If they don’t die of this ingestion then a fisherman can possibly catch that fish again, and those chemicals can be eaten by humans consuming the fish. So please think twice before leaving that little piece of litter behind, because you

6 February 2017 would be damaging the very ecosystem that gives you a service. Rather reduce, reuse or recycle that litter.

“Talking about pollution, nobody’s Holy. They who pollute have sinned against Nature” -Unknown

The Results of Anton and Nicole’s Clean Up, and the mess left at the Saal.

Many bags of litter were collected this month: seven during the Saal clean-up and countless more during the rangers’ patrols. While Nicole was busy with her Roving Creel on the 26th she came across a small area containing at least 21 plastic bottles. The plastic bottles, surrounding Nicole in the photo below, will take about 50-80 years to break down into microbeads and then harmful chemicals, and only then will the physical bottle be completely gone. Even though the rangers do regular beach clean ups, we urge the community to pick up plastic if they see it at the beach or anywhere within the area.

“Be part of the solution, not the pollution” -Unknown

Nicole looking shocked with the pile of plastic bottles she collected.

7 February 2017

Camera Trap: Small Mammal Monitoring

After the Rangers spent some time with the Riversdale CapeNature staff counting birds during the summer CWACs, a discussion came up over setting up a small mammal monitoring program. After this Michael from CapeNature kindly offered to loan one of their camera traps to the Conservancy. A Bushnell motion camera trap was handed to the Rangers and will be set up within the Conservancy to get an insight into what elusive mammals are moving about. The camera trap has been up for the month of February and has already yielded some interesting photos. Apart from the ranger selfies snapped while being set up, it also showcased four different mammal species thus far. These are bushbuck, Tragelaphus scriptus; bushpig, Potamochoerus; large grey mongoose, Herpestes ichneumon; and common duiker, Sylvicapra grimmia. With the recent reports of a brown hyena siting in the area, the rangers are continuing to set up the camera at different sites, eager to see if they can get even more interesting photos.

Some recent camera trap imagery of a bushbuck and a common duiker.

Month of Meetings

February was a busy month for meetings. Some highlights were the Gourits Cluster Biosphere Reserve forum meeting held on the 14th in Boggomsbaai. This seminar-styled meeting had some very interesting talks with the likes of Esther Jacobs, who spoke about her work with the “Keep Fin alive” movement, and Enrico Gennari from Oceans Research, who spoke to the audience about marine mammal rescues and the challenges associated with it.

On the 16th, Kei and Nicole attended the Gouritzrivier Bewaring Trust meeting to provide the Trust with environmental commentary. Theresa van der Westhuizen from CapeNature was also present and took the seat previously held by Rhett Hiseman, who is now retired after many years of service at CapeNature. The agenda discussed matters including the presence of alien trees, creating and maintaining firebreaks, notice to rebuild the ‘viswywers’ (‘Fish Traps’ such as those found at ) for heritage status and many other topics. Two topics that stood out were the proposed sand mine and abalone farm in the area, of which the Conservancy was asked to provide environmental comment in the public participation process of the Environmental Impact Study.

The Conservancy Management meeting was held on the 17th with an agenda that discussed matters of an Eden District Municipality maintenance plan as well as fire protection, dune management at Boggomsbaai, the financial report from Nicol Hanekom and the proposed research projects of the new student rangers.

8 February 2017

Monthly Species Profile

Sometimes you will be amazed and inspired if you take a moment to look at the little things in nature. This month’s profile winner is a indigenous bulbous plant. Bulbous plants are usually only seen when they are bearing flowers; the rest of the time they survive as bulbs underground.

Common name : Parasol lily, April Fool lily (English) , Sambreelblom (Afrikaans) Scientific name : Crossyne guttata Family : Amaryllidaceae Order : Asparagales Class : Monocotyledonae Division : Angiosperms Kingdom : Plantae

The word Crossyne implies the ‘origin being obscure’, referring to the bulbous plant which is not visible above the ground. Guttata means spotted, which refers to the flat leaves, which, when present, are spotted.

Characteristics: The species has deep green coloured leaves, which is absent when in flower. The leaves are narrow, smooth and leathery, with bristly maroon margins and with maroon spots underneath. The leaves lie flat on the ground. The flowers are small and appear as a dusky pink to a purple-maroon colour. Soon after flowering the flowers turn brown. Size: Plant reaches up to 450mm when flowering. Each plant can have up to 200 flowers, which appear on large, rounded heads. Season of flowering: The species usually flowers in late summer to autumn (February to April), but at the Conservancy they were seen from as early as January to late February. They usually flower at their best following a fire, but they are not dependent on fire to bloom. Distribution and Habitat: The species is widespread throughout the Western and Southern Cape and primarily occur on shale and granite flats, as well as the lower slopes of Renosterveld. Ecology: This species is pollinated by small butterflies, wasps, honeybees and short proboscid flies. The flowers age in sequence, not opening all at once, therefore the plant remains striking for longer. Seeds: The seed coat is covered with stomata (tiny openings) and it is surrounded with a blue or black crust of the pigment, phytomelanin. The seed is contained in spherical capsules or berries, which break loose in the wind to spread. Defences: The bulb is extremely poisonous in order to ward off any rodents looking for bulbs on which to feast. It is also toxic to humans as it can cause headaches, drowsiness and sore eyes when ingested. Uses: Known to have been used by the San and Khoi as poison for arrows. The leaves were also used by locals as a traditional antiseptic. Conservation Status: Per the SANBI Red list, the species is rated as Least Concern (LC).

9 February 2017

References ~Attwood, C., 2000. Coastal and Marine Life – Impacts of Human Activity on the Coast: Fishing and Harvesting of Marine Life, Litter and Pollution. Coast care Factsheet Series. 1st ed. Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism.

~Attwood, C., 2000. People and the Coast – Pollution: Plastic Pollution. Coast care Factsheet Series. 1st ed. Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism.

~Attwood, C., 2000. Coastal and Marine Life – Recreational Angling. Coast care Factsheet Series. 1st ed. Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism.

~Department of Water Affairs and Forestry, 2003. A practical field procedure for identification and delineation of wetlands and riparian areas. [Pdf]

~Snijman, D.A. & Victor, J.E. 2004. Crossyne guttata (L.) D. & U. Müll. -Doblies. National Assessment: Red List of South African Plants. [Online] Available at: http://redlist.sanbi.org/species.php?species=5349-1 (Accessed February 2017)

~Velembo, S., 2016. Crossyne guttata. [Online] Available at: http://pza.sanbi.org/crossyne-guttata (Accessed February 2017)

ANTON BARNARD NICOLE BLIGNAUT KEI HEYNS FRANSMANSHOEK CONSERVANCY 082 084 2791 | [email protected]