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------- Forwarded Message
From: Dirk Booyse <dirk.booyse@up.ac.za>
Date: Thu, 21 Feb 2008 09:22:46 +0200
To: <4_babich@fishingowl.co.za>
Subject: FW: FOW Newsletter Jan-Feb 2008

 
-----Original Message-----
From: Dirk Booyse [mailto:dirk.booyse@up.ac.za]
Sent: 21 February 2008 09:22 AM
To: neels; Bernard Venter
Cc: RachelleS@zitholele.co.za
Subject: FW: FOW Newsletter Jan-Feb 2008

While we all herd of this so caled 'FISH PROBLEM' an that carp and catfish will be removed from this dam for more than 2 yaers, and for a price!!! of course!!!. I  know that this is to late for comments. ...just wonderring why more scientists were not  involved??

I am not going to keep my mouth shut about this 'ACT' of all these 'expert role-player's in the Metsi-A-Me project..one of my questions will be ...How old is this dam with it's aquatic system? were there not problems in past?.....Why blame the fish? A boom was placed at the DAM wall 'for controlling and removal of algae' ......If this was a 'fish' problem why place a boom at railway bridge witch is in one of the inflows of the dam and also the main 'carrier' of the cause??? ......

A ex-nature conservationist, Abre Steyn, wrote in his report on Hartie's polution and catchment area and I quote 'One “expert” even wrote some while ago in Beeld that if we remove all exotic fish from Harties the tilapia will clean up all the pollution within five years. Can you believe somebody actually wrote that? '
 
As a active angler I know that ALL fish take their bait at the bottom ....including tilapia....????? As a scientist and researcher of game, fish and crocodile die-offs at various places and game reserves I know that pollution plays a big role and these reports were made in several papers, 50/50 and TV news programmes ... but really this excuse is far beyond my knowledge...shore this may help...but what will happen to the sediment that just lays there if nothing stirs it? All heavy metals an what knows will stay at the bottom and will only became part of the drinking water as it is present.
 
Most of the owners around the dam are complaining of pore water water quality so much that they obtain water from friends in Pretoria to take home for drinking.
 
Try fool someone else..our anglers and people on the street has became more intelligent than that..........

 
 
-----Original Message-----
From: Neels Botha [mailto:Neels.Botha@lapple.co.za]
Sent: 20 February 2008 11:30 AM
To: Dirk Booyse
Subject: FW: FOW Newsletter Jan-Feb 2008

Dirk
Kan nie onthou of ek dit al vir jou gestuur het nie
 
From: TNS [mailto:4_repro@tnsprint.co.za]
Sent: Monday, February 04, 2008 2:29 PM
To: TNS
Cc: j.janeke@mweb.co.za
Subject: FOW Newsletter Jan-Feb 2008

 

Subject:  FOW  Newsletter Jan-Feb 2008

 



Hi  Fellow Anglers,

I am sure everybody is aware of the electricity crisis.  There is another crisis looming around the corner and that is the shocking  deterioration of the countries scarce water resources.

Just to give one  small example, half the contestants in the Duzi Marathon fell ill because of  the serious amount of ecoli in the water – 6 times more than the safe  limit!!!!

Water Affairs are holding meetings with role players to try  and bring Hartebeespoort back to life and the following is the result of their  deliberations. I am not going to comment at this stage and would very  much like the readers to e-mail their comments to 4_babich@fishingowl.co.za <mailto:4_babich@fishingowl.co.za>


News on  Harties
 
Hartbeespoort  Dam has for a number of years experienced unacceptable high levels of algae on  the dam. This has had a negative affect on the water quality, the fish life,  use of the dam and the environment. In order to improve the water quality and  related problems at Hartbeespoort Dam the Department of Water Affairs and  Forestry (DWAF) has initiated a remediation programme, called Harties Metsi A  Me, that is working towards improving the situation at the dam. Randwater is  the implementing agent for this project.

However,  for this improved situation to be maintained, the people living in the  Hartbeespoort area has to take responsibility for the dam. Metsi A Me, meaning  My Water calls for all of us to become water watch dogs and ensure that our  valuable water resources are kept clean and that water is used wisely.  

Fishery  Project at Hartbeespoort Dam off to a good start

Media  release by the Department of Water Affairs and Forestry
21 January 2008  

 


The  Department of Water Affairs and Forestry’s Water Resource Manager at  Hartbeespoort has expressed his excitement over the start up of the fishery  project which is part of the Hartbeespoort Dam Remediation Programme, called  Harties, Metsi a me - My water.  According to Mr Petrus Venter the first  harvesting of the undesirable fish started on Tuesday, 15 January 2008, and  the task manager for the fishery project, Professor Gert Steyn, says he is  satisfied with the progress made thus far.  
Mr Venter says a crucial  element of the programme is to restore the nutrient balance in the dam.   The food web plays an important role in this and can only be achieved if the  trophic status in Hartbeespoort Dam has been restored.  At present the  dam is dominated by the coarse species, namely Catfish, Carp and Canary  Kurper.  
Mr Venter explained that the sun, which is an important  source of energy, stimulates the nutrients in the water and causes the algae  and hyacinths to grow.  As they die, some of them sink and the bottom  feeders, namely the Catfish and the Carp, feed on the dead material in the  sediment.  The result of their actions stirs up the sediment which causes  the cycle of nutrient enrichment to repeat itself.  
“This shows that  through the removal of the Catfish and Carp the food web can be restored”, he  said.    
The fishery is a commercial entity that will  harvest the dam of the undesirable species by utilising various  techniques.  Harvesting activity on the water will generally be taking  place in the evenings. The nets and lines will be left in the water overnight  and extracted in the early mornings on a daily basis.  This will restore  the desired trophic fish structure and contribute towards establishing an  integrated aquaculture hub in the province.  The removed fish will be  sold as a high source of protein.  This project will rely heavily on  research and monitoring to ensure that the desired effect is  obtained.   Mr Venter said “the fishery’s task will create  significant job opportunities, especially for unemployed local residents which  is an important part of this project.”
The remediation programme has been  making steady progress.   The rainy weather lately has contributed  towards there being fewer visible algae on the dam as the sun, which draws the  algae to the top of the water’s surface was mostly absent.  In the  meantime however the controlling and removal of algae are continuing and much  success has been achieved by the placement of the first boom on the dam close  to the dam wall.  The project is now ready to install the next two  booms.  These will be placed at the railway bridge at Oberon and at the  bridge at Lakeland.   
The public using  the dam for recreation activities are requested to be on the look out for  activities and specially coloured markers on the surface related to the  remediation programme and are requested to avoid such areas.  
For  more information and to arrange media interviews contact Rachelle Seymore at  Zitholele Consulting at tel 011 254 4804, or e-mail her at RachelleS@zitholele.co.za  <mailto:RachelleS@zitholele.co.za>  <mailto:RachelleS@zitholele.co.za>   .  



 
For more info, go  to:  http://www.dwaf.gov.za/Harties/

Regards,

Trevor  Babich,

Webmaster, www.fishingowl.co.za <http://www.fishingowl.co.za>

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