Eastern Cape Fishing Research Specific Studies
Although this project has many objectives and many
goals, there are a few things that Fish The Sea will be focusing on more
than the others.
Read more on the home research page about exactly what research will be
done. A few of the specific studies might sound over-ambitious or
boring, but I have researched the potential of these projects as well as
seeing some of them for myself. There are a lot of dark areas around
these
fish species that I am hoping to bring to light. Please read more
about these specific projects below, and click the link if you want to
see what has been recorded to date.
Klipfish Species & Their Maximum Sizes
Klipfish have always fascinated me, and just the fact that there are so many species in South Africa is amazing. I have caught many Klipfish and a few species and have noticed that some specimens I have caught are larger (In centimeters) than many Sea Fish Books and pieces of research say. I want to see if I can physically prove this by catching enough specimens over their maximum size limits. While I am doing this I will be doing research on the actual species, recording the environments they occur in, and identifying all species that could possibly occur in the area.
Black Seacatfish Depth Selection, Occurrence & Habitat Changes
At the time of writing this I have recorded 2 Black Seacatfish in shallow water, one in a river mouth. Many pieces of information say that the Black Seacatfish is predominately a deep water fish that generally keep away from shallow areas and estuaries. I want to prove this by catching a few more of these fish in areas I am sure they occur in.
Koester Rockcod Study
This Rockcod is almost endemic to this area and I will be studying this species and all it's characteristics to try and find out new information on this fish. They are such a beautiful and striking fish and this species will be a joy to study. Not easy to study however, I have noticed they do not take bait as freely as other Rockcod species.
New Species Research & Existing Specie Distribution
I would love to identify new species in the region or in science. This bit of research will be very exciting, but very testing and hard work. Hopefully I can find more information on some fish I have recorded before in the area, such as the Blacktip Kingfish and Natal Stumpnose, which I have both recorded in estuaries in the 60 kilometer research area.
Coelacanth Possibly Occurring Inshore
This is a very tricky "hit or miss" part of the research. I have one non-verified report that I am going on, of a small Coelacanth being caught along the area where I am researching. I have identified a few spots where I am going to focus on.
Determining The Status Of Some Fish In The Area
There are some fish I am very worried about along the coastal area I am studying. A lot of them seem to be vulnerable and possibly face localised extinction along certain parts of the area. Fish I will mainly be focusing on are the Kob, Black & White Musselcracker, Springer, Rockcod species, Bronze Bream, White Steenbras along with a few other iconic Eastern Cape fish.
Overfishing & It's Impact In The Area
This study, will go hand in hand with the study above. I will be recording all events that I witness and try draw accurate conclusions from all my findings to determine how vulnerable this piece of coast line is to over fishing and over exploitation.
