Millenium Angling Club Submission

Written by Shareef Hoosain, Assistant Secretary Millenium Angling Club

Tuesday, 11 October 2005

The following was received as input to the Convenor's submission... INTRODUCTION We Millennium Angling Club est. 1999 would like to take this opportunity to request a mandate for representation at the National Offroad Workshop with regard to the beach ban. The Nature Conservation Act and Marine Act strictly govern the club constitution. Our  members have a strong history of deprivation of enjoying our beautiful country. Events of the past would clearly indicate the unfair treatment of anglers gaining access to coastal areas. The odds have always been against us until today in trying to gain access to our favourite fishing spots. We have been deprived of owning properties along the coast due to apartheid, denied access to our beloved coast due to private properties, banned from using vehicles on the coastal zone, denied access to existing government servitude roads behind the coastal zone, etc and the list goes on and on and on. In the same breath I ask, why are trek netters allowed to damage our surf and the our sea floor beds (Strandfontein)?, why are tour operators allowed on ‘sensitive beaches’ (Cape Agulhas)?, why has there been no report for public scrutiny on the impact study supposedly done by the DEAT? Why is an access point to the coast declared a heritage site and then a few years later sold to a private consortium for development (Arniston)? A true injustice has been done and the truth is that the recreational angler has been hit the hardest. These are some of the major real gripes that have left many of us frustrated and angry. THE WAY FORWARD Millennium Angling Club’s standpoint on coastal driving is based upon principles that are common to driving off-road in any environment. Any environment that is going to be utilised must first be assessed for environmental impact of the activity and only then can appropriate activities be allowed. Successful implementation of sustainable utilisation of that environment will then be determined by controlled access to that environment and appropriate management of that usage. All Off-road drivers must undergo formal training in the correct use of their vehicle and the impact that it has on the environment Beach driving should only take place at demarcated areas Where access is permitted to a beach, drive between the high and low water mark Keep to existing tracks and do not open up new tracks No driving above the high tide mark, as there are many birds and their nests and other creatures in this area. Driving over dunes must be completely banned to prevent environmental damage to the sensitive dune vegetation and wildlife. Do not drive over kelp, as there is a myriad of life therein. A Code of Conduct for drivers and guidelines for essential behaviour must be signed A volunteer group consisting of accredited drivers, angling clubs members, conservationists, etc must be accredited by Nature Conservation to effectively assist authorities in policing the coastal zone. Sensitive areas must be protected and the proposed coastal zones investigated to determine the impact of vehicles. Use of servitude roads instead of the coastal zone where the ecology is sensitive As mentioned above the use of servitude roads behind the coastal zone is certainly a realistic win-win solution for angler’s, as well as the DEAT. We would like to strongly propose that NOW takes this suggestion to its white paper. All rules and control methods that the NOW generates could be directly applied to the usage of these roads. These roads do exist and the use thereof to gain closer access to certain areas is certainly realistic without any driving along the coastal zone. The servitude road that is currently used in the Pearly beach area works very well. Similarly, the existing road that runs behind the 15km of Struisbaai surf can be used just as effectively. Long stretches along the Overberg region have servitude roads, which can be utilised. Our request from NOW is to represent us at the NOW and attempt to earn just one servitude road for public use (using whichever control method that materialises) as a trial opportunity for others to be opened in the future. Struisbaai is certainly good trial area which we’d like to propose. We trust that the NOW would take our recommendation forward for discussion. We would also like to wish Jan, his committee and the entire National Offroad Workshop all the best in October and beyond in a really worthy cause, so that our beautiful country may be there for all to enjoy in years to come in a responsible manner. Yours in Angling Shareef Hoosain Assistant Secretary Millennium Angling Club Beach Action Committee