People have been warned not collect or consume fish washing out in the Zandvlei estuary in Cape Town.
|||People should not collect or consume fish washing out in the Zandvlei estuary in Cape Town, the fisheries department said on Tuesday.
Spokesman Lionel Adendorf said the fish were not fit for human consumption. They were washing out because of low oxygen levels, caused by an algal bloom.
He said the bloom had been present for the last six weeks and was caused by stormwater runoff from nearby areas as well as sewerage overflow.
“It is estimated that, since the first washout was recorded last month, more than five tons of harders – which is the most abundant species in the system – and other mullet species like kob, white steenbras, garrick (leervis), elf or springers have washed out.”
He warned the public that it was illegal to collect any of these species as garrick and white steenbras were protected and could not be sold, while kob and slingers were biologically vulnerable.
He said anyone caught with fish and no permit could be fined up to R500 per fish. – Sapa