The state of the linefishery between Cape Hangklip and Walker Bay on the Ca
pe south coast, South Africa, is assessed. The coast was subdivided into 20
"beats" to provide high spatial resolution on catch and effort of the shor
e-based recreational fishery. An observer recorded the number of anglers in
each fishery sector, and their catch, during shore patrols over a two-year
period. Catch-and-effort data for the commercial boat-based fishery were o
btained from an historical database at the turn of last century and from th
e extant National Marine Linefish System database. Catch per unit effort (c
pue) of shore-anglers was low and many of the species caught earlier in the
century have disappeared from catches. Compared to the early records, cont
emporary commercial linefish cpue bad dropped by approximately 80%, despite
a greater fishing capacity. It is argued that most targeted stocks have be
en overexploited (notwithstanding indications of environmental change) and
many are severely depleted, poor management of the fishery, including a lac
k of control of commercial effort and inadequate enforcement contributed to
overexploitation.