While police and Department of Sea Fisheries officials were questioning 23 men about the illegal off-loading of about 7,5 tons of live crayfish on Monday, it emerged that crayfish caught near a remote Atlantic Ocean island have been appearing on restaurant tables in Cape Town.
On Sunday, police and Sea Fisheries officials swooped on the boat, Sandalene, at Quay Seven in Table Bay Harbour about 4.10am, and confiscated crayfish worth about R650 000.
According to a Sea Fisheries marine inspector, the company being investigated contravened the Sea Fisheries Act by off-loading the crayfish without a marine inspector present.
Although the crayfish were not caught illegally, the act stipulates that a marine inspector is present when a catch is off-loaded to monitor the procedure, and to count and weigh the catch.
The maximum penalty for this contravention is a fine not exceeding R2-million or a prison term of up to five years.
No arrests were made, but a case docket has been registered for the company's alleged failure to comply with the conditions of the Marine and Living Resources Act.
On Monday, an administrator on the island of Tristan da Cunha, an overseas territory of the United Kingdom situated about 2 800km west of Cape Town, said the island had implemented strict measures to curb illegal crayfishing by South African and other vessels.
During a briefing in the city on Monday, Brian Baldwin said crayfishing was the lifeline of the territory, which consisted of four islands: Tristan da Cunha, Inaccessible, Nightingale and Gough.
Baldwin said evidence pointed to fishing boats exploiting the remoteness of Gough Island and included reports from commercial pilots flying the Cape Town-to-Rio de Janeiro route, and reports that crayfish from Tristan were being sold in Cape Town restaurants.
"We have recently stepped up our capabilities to deal with poachers and are sending a clear message that Tristan waters and its crayfishing resources are not open to free-for-all fishing," said Baldwin.
He said the British Royal Navy would conduct regular patrols to detect illegal crayfishing off Tristan da Cunha during its forays in the South Atlantic.
"We have also invested in new radar equipment for our patrol boat, which will improve our ability to detect illegal fishing activities," he said.
Baldwin said uncontrolled exploitation of Tristan's crayfish population would not only cause irreparable damage to the island's economy, but would also damage the sensitive natural chains which made up the islands' unique ecosystem. - Sapa