SUBSISTENCE AND RECREATIONAL MUSSEL (PERNA-PERNA) COLLECTING IN KWAZULU-NATAL, SOUTH-AFRICA - FISHING MORTALITY AND PRECAUTIONARY MANAGEMENT

Both recreational and subsistence collectors utilise Pema pema in KwaZ ulu-Natal. The former collect 200-250 t of mussels annually from about 110 km of rocky shore and the latter 12-50 t from 3 km of rocky shore . Recreational collectors are subject to a daily bag limit of 50 musse ls and so select larger mussels than subsistence collectors. In centra l KwaZulu-Natal, there were 700-800 mussels of the size range selected by recreational collectors per running metre of rocky shore and, at K osi Bay, 1400-1500 mussels in the subsistence size range per running m etre, This excludes stretches of rocky shore in both areas where musse ls are virtually absent. Parametric bootstrapping was used to estimate variance in fishing mortality from variances in input, parameters (in cluding catch). Fishing mortality at two recreational zones was 0.6 (9 5% confidence interval: 0.58-0.62) and 0.46 (0.45-0.47) and at two roc ky points at Kosi Bay where subsistence collectors target mussels, 0.4 2 (0.41-0.44) and 0.27 (0.26-0.28), Decision tables are provided of ta rget fishing mortalities for three levels of risk of exceeding fishing mortality at maximum sustainable yield for each fishery vs three assu mptions about the variability in catch estimates. One recreational zon e requires a substantial reduction in effort to reduce fishing mortali ty to the target. No change in subsistence collecting at Kosi Bay is r equired, but the limited access policy should be maintained.