Cape Bream

1. What is it?

Hottentots (Pachymetopon blochii) are endemic, resident fish (fish that typically live in a small geographic area throughout a lifetime) that spawn throughout the year, and are associated with rocky reefs and kelp beds. Despite being resident fish, they seem to be fairly resilient to fishing although localized overexploitation is possible. A stock assessment published in 2013 revealed they are being harvested sustainability.

2. How was it caught or farmed?

Hottentots are caught using linefish methods of rod and reel, handline or through the use of spears. Linefishing is a relatively selective fishing method which targets a large number of species many of which are reef-associated but also includes a few pelagic species. When targeting pelagic linefish species, the linefishery is not likely to cause significant damage to overfished, vulnerable or ETP species, which are nearly all reef-associated. The reverse is true when targeting for reef-associated linefish species like Hottentot. The fishery has few discards and there are very few “non-target” species landed in the sector.

3. Where is it from?

Hottentots are caught in in the inshore zone of the western and south west Cape. Management for the sector is considered partly effective. In South Africa, this sector is principally managed through a total allowable effort (TAE) limitation and there are additional restrictions to protect overfished species such as bag (10pp/pd) and size limit (22cm) for recreational fishers. There is some concern over the impact of the small-scale fishery rights allocation beyond the recommended TAE and the continuously growing recreational sector.