Two men were arrested for illegally harvesting mussels in Durban. More than 6,500 mussels were found in their possession.
A public tip-off led to the discovery of more than 6,500 illegally harvested rock mussels, a makeshift processing facility, and several illegal fishing nets along the KwaZulu-Natal coastline on Saturday.
The Coastal Marine Task Force (CMTF) — a volunteer organisation that provides support to environmental stakeholders in the protection and conservation of biodiversity resources in coastal operational areas — said authorities sprang into action after a member of the public tipped them off to a large-scale mussel harvesting operation south of Durban.
“Along with members of the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE), the South African Police Service and eThekwini Municipality Coastal Aquatic Safety and Law Enforcement, as well as the Merewent Fishing Forum, observation was quickly set up, and apprehension followed shortly thereafter,” a CMTF media spokesperson said.
He said a makeshift and rudimentary processing facility and four separate gill nets totalling nearly 170m in length were also discovered.
