Reports have come in that the Kromme River is being fleeced of bloodworms by outsiders who are filling huge buckets the size of rubbish bins and taking them to other parts of the country. Bloodworms from St Francis have reportedly been on sale in East London!
But an inspector for bloodworms in St Francis, Warren Manser, says the problem is not only caused by people taking away far more than the daily quota of 5 bloodworms a day per person. He points out that the numbers of bloodworms found rise and fall periodically, that this is a natural phenomenon. He conceded though that the declining number of bloodworms is exacerbated by the huge demand for bloodworms by fishermen elsewhere in the country.
A distressed Rita van Vuuren who has lived in St Francis for more than 35 years told St Francis Chronicle there have always been bloodworms available. She says she and her fishing friends on Shore Road have in the past four months been unable to find any blood worms.
“We have constantly seen people taking huge amounts of bloodworms away and no one stops them, she says adding that there needs to be regular inspectors inspecting the containers of fishermen.
“But this type of inspection is difficult to operate and monitor,” says Hilton Thorpe of the Kromme Trust, who also lives along Shore Road. He says many Kromme River residents are aware of the problem, but it is difficult to find a solution.
Manser says that in order for levels of bloodworms to rise again on the Kromme River, a ban on bloodworms collection on this river for a period of two years is needed to get the bloodworms breeding again. Manser says if a ban can be enforced by Nature Conservation bodies this will prevent bloodworms becoming extinct on the Kromme in the near future.
Naas Marais of the joint river committee, says not only the river mouth area but higher up the Kromme, even past Rivertide, there are no more bloodworms. He said he first noticed the lower number of bloodworms when there were floods and the Sand River dumped sand and debris into the Kromme.
Like Manser, he says this is a natural phenomenon but exploitation only makes the situation worse. He says the Kouga Marine and Management officials are aware of the problem but this body does not have the manpower to police collectors of bloodworms properly.
He fears that a two-year ban by these officials could lead to the ban kept in force permanently. “It is our duty as anglers and St Francis residents to do the policing ourselves,” Marais added.
He and Manser advise that if people notice suspicious activity relating to bloodworms on the river, they should report it to Elvis Maziko from the Marine and Coastal Management: 084 607 1783; 042 293 1757 (o/h).
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