The MCM yet again believes crayfish resources are under threat and their way of dealing with the problem is by raising the licensing fees by up to 600%!! Their 3rd world methodology behind the increase in prices seems like a weak and misguided regulatory scheme to preserve fish and crayfish.

MCM announced on Friday, 29th Jan 2010 that they intend increasing the recreational fishing licence fee, which include amongst others: Crayfish R500, Mussels R300, Mud Crab R300, Angling R200, Spearfishing R300, Throw Net R300, and an additional fee of R500 per angling vessel.

Let me start by excusing my language use…. This IMO, is a fucking joke! Lets be realistic here. With 50,000 West Coast Recreational angling licenses sold a year (fact) at R500 a shot = R25m from this source alone?!?! As Per MCM’s latest financials, total operating revenue was R108m… so the crayfish recreational guys will contribute close to 25% of MCM’s operating revenue? This is a shocker!

….but, being a realistic human being, 50,000 licenses will not be sold as not everyone will be able to afford this, correct. This brings me to my next question, if this ill-guided decision was made to protect crayfish, how does this apply to fishing in general? Are they telling me that coastal ocean life is becoming less daily with all their strict regulations in place already?? Bullshit! If this is the case, why do the clamp down on recreational anglers, yet the allowance for commercial fisherman and licensees have proposed an increased during the run of 2010?? this is pathetic! Do they think we were born under a bunch chickens?!? am I the only one sensing this is one or two high individuals within the MCM that are complete fucking idiots??

So lets break this down for a recreational fisherman…. Lets say I catch 6 crayfish a month (which is almost a max btw)…. 12 x 6 crayfish in a year = 72 crayfish. My Crayfish license Fee = R500…………….. the boat I am netting the crayfish with, another R500 in license fees. Pertol for my car towing the boat + fuel for my engine + bait = around R100 min a trip (for someone who stays close to the ocean). That means that without the fee imposed by MCM, crayfish at a minimum already cost me around R20-R25 a crayfish. With the licensing fee, I’m looking at R40 per crayfish, never mind wear and tear on my boat!

So, at R40 per crayfish, does it make any sense whatsoever to go crayfishing at all?? I can buy them for R30 from the commercial okes… WTF!! If this is their way of protecting crayfish per ce, they must be smoking some heavy shit! I can not even begin to imagine how many people will be fishing without licenses… this way more good guys can become criminals (while getting away with murder or rape can be tutorialized on a piece of fucking tissue) and supply those high ranks in the MCM with a bigger bonus come end year….

The Marine and Coastal Managment unit (MCM) of the Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism in 2004 announced that the Westcoast Lobster was under threat. In March 2005 the MCM, presented with scientific evidence (from activists opposing the lockdown of recreational crayfishing = people like you and me) that the crayfish resource was in fact not under threat, relented and reopened the season to allow crayfishing in April, May and June 2005 on weekends and public holidays between 8am and 4pm, bringing some relief to coastal towns and businesses relying on recreational crayfishing, together with the tourism it attracts.

Have they even for one moment thought further than their noses of the ecconomic impact this new fee legislation will have on tackle and dive shops, coastal tourism towns etc?? They are simply setting 70% of all recreational Anglers up to become criminals in order to benefit their own pocket!

They are screwing the majority of recreational anglers, so I say screw the MCM! Catch me if you can! I don’t mind spending a R1000 on license fees for something I enjoy, but in benefit of some politically appointed fat cat? No F****** ways Mnr!!!

With the new fee structure blatantly a ripoff, joke if you may… all recreational anglers in South Africa might as well get together and pay R100.00 into one specific trust fund. That way if caught or issued a summons, use that trust fund to pay the fine!

Give a dumb-ass the power to make a decision out of his intellectual bracket and this is what you get…. someone please throw these idiots a bone! Congratulations to those bunch of clowns who proposed this ridiculous, misguided increase in Anglers Fees… they might as well go join a fucking circus as there’s no substitute for stupidity, period.