84 



by the native fishermen. The Harder lishermen in False Bay- 

 also state that this fish can readily be alarmed and driven off 

 into the open sea. Whether or not this may occur on the 

 firing of heavy guns or the running of trains may be disputed, 

 but that the fish may be easily driven off is not open to ques- 

 tion, as it had become a practice, until forbidden by law, to 

 scare off fish from particular trek (seining) grounds by the 

 splashing of oars or b}' other commotion in the water. Thus, 

 if the fish passed the Simon's Town trekking ground too far off 

 to be captured, the fishermen then put off in a boat and drove 

 the fish out to sea by those methods, so that they were pre- 

 vented from coming into the Fish Hoek and other trekking 

 grounds. This operation is locally known as " keering," or 

 turning the fish out of their course. The Harder is not only 

 a timid fish, but exhibits an amount of intelligence w^hich can 

 only be appreciated by the practical fisherman, who has to 

 pit his wits against those of his prey. Experienced fishermen 

 in False Bay, where this class of fishing is extensively carried 

 on, state that they have to use the greatest caution in the 

 capture of a school of Harders. A boat incautiously put off, 

 or other mistake, will drive the fish off to a rocky bottom, where, 

 as they seem to be well aware, the net cannot be used. It is 

 said also that it is becoming increasingly difticult to capture 

 the fish inshore though they are known to be in abundance 

 out in deeper water, where the present nets cannot be used. 

 It has been the experience of the seine netters that they have, 

 in course of time, to put their nets farther out to sea. In fact, 

 the evidence seems to indicate that the apparent decrease in 

 this case is not due to the lessening of the number of fish, 

 but to greater difficulty in catching them on account of their 

 increasing wariness. 



B. KXYSNA. 



The conditions as regards fishing, both with reference tO' 

 locality and kinds of fish, at Knysna are different from those 

 at the Berg River. The extent of the fishing operations is alsO' 

 much smaller, being hmited to a few fishermen, who also find 

 employment in other directions. These fishermen sometimes, 

 though rarely, cross the rather dangerous bar at the mouth 

 of the river, and do some fishing by hook and line in the sea. 

 The fishing operations are thus chieflv confined to seine-netting 

 in the river, there being, howe\'er, only four or five nets. The 

 limited extent of fishing operations is no doubt due to there 

 being no means of conveying the fish inland, and they are 

 disposed of chiefly in the village of Knysna. 



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