54 
IIJ.—REPORT ON NETTINGS IN .THE ZWARTKOPS 
RIVER. 
The question of fishing in the Zwartkops River is one of the | 
oldest difficulties in connection with fishing regulations in South © 
Africa, and the first legislative measures dealing with fishery 
matters in this country was the Act of 1883, with regard to 
netting in the river. Since then various restrictions have 
from time to time been imposed on netting operations, and 
in the year 1912 it was resolved, as an experiment which 
might throw some light on the many disputed points which 
had arisen, to close the river for three years to netting, and 
in the meanwhile to attempt to discover by a series of experi- 
mental nettings and other observations what were the real 
facts of the case concerning which so diverse and conflicting 
statements were made. Unfortunately, chiefly for financial 
reasons, Government was not in a position to carry out these 
experiments. Towards the end of the year 1913 it was 
represented to the Government that there had been a great 
falling off of the fish in the river, and this was alleged to be so 
marked as to necessitate some restriction even on angling opera- 
tions. A meeting of anglers and netters was called at Port 
Elizabeth on the 2oth January, I915, in order to procure 
evidence on this particular point. No definite proofs were 
available, however, though a resolution was carried by a 
large majority stating that it was the opinion of the meeting . 
(composed, it is true, chiefly of anglers) that there had been 
no diminution, but rather an increase, of fish in the Zwartkops. 
It was stated, however, that there had been a falling ofi of 
the supply of fish in the Bay, as also in the neighbovring 
Gamtoos and the Sundays Rivers. The decrease of fish in 
these rivers, however, was explained—in the Gamtoos, be’ 1use 
a flood had brought down mud and covered the reef <. the 
mouth, and in the Sundays River, because there hac been 
no flood to clear away the sand bar. Salmon (Flops) and 
Barbel (Galetchthys) were, however, said to be scarcer in the 
Zwartkops. Other suggestions were that an increase of fish 
may be due to fewer motor launches being in the river, and 
that the reappearance of mussels, which had for ten or twelve 
years disappeared, had brought back the fish. 
Though the proposed close season for angling was considered 
unnecessary, it was felt that some restrictions should be made 
in the form of a size limit, below which no fish were to be 
caught, and a committee was appointed to make suggestions 
in this direction. 
