Pretoria - Water and Environmental Affairs has announced the new recreational fishing season for West Coast rock lobster - also known as crayfish.
The new season will open on Monday and close on 25 April 2011.
Between the period 15 November to 21 November, fishing will be allowed every day of the week, while from 27 November to 12 December fishing will be restricted to weekends and public holidays only. Fishing will again be allowed every day between 13 December and 31 December.
In the New Year to the 16 January, fishing will only be allowed on weekends and on public holidays then again from 22 April to 25 April.
The bag limit is four lobsters per person per day and the size restriction is 80mm carapace length.
The department said no person catching west coast rock lobster with a recreational west coast rock lobster permit may sell it. Any west coast rock lobster caught, collected or transported must be kept in a whole state.
Fishing times for West Coast rock lobster will be from 8am until 4pm. The rock lobsters must be landed by 4pm.
For those who want to transport the lobsters, a maximum of 20 rock lobsters may be transported per day on condition that all the persons who caught such rock lobster are present in the vehicle, vessel or aircraft during transportation, and that such persons are in possession of recreational west coast rock lobster permits.
West coast rock lobster permits will only be sold to persons above the age of 12 years.
