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comprised of smooth fine grained sandy beaches which continue on to Pearly Beach. The
Uilkraals catchment is also important as a Fynbos biodiversity hotspot, containing important
strands of remnant undisturbed fynbos. A number of places have reported the occurrence of
red data species, in addition a number of flower harvesting and processing centres are located
in the catchment, for example Concordia and Niewedam (van der Merwe 2008).
Figure 14. Uilkraals Estuary (which is now closed to the sea) with the Uilenkraalsmond Holiday Resort
situated at the mouth (inside red box). Source: Google Earth.
Recreational use of estuaries is significant in South Africa, with an estimated total of 67 000
recreational anglers and 5700 cast netters (Turpie & Clark 2007). Although this activity is
relatively small in the Uilkraals Estuary area and on the coast, recreational angling (mainly
shore angling) is carried out by many of the locals and visitors to the area. The bulk of the
Uilkraals Estuary linefish catch is made within 500 m of the mouth. The total fishing effort for
the Uilkraals Estuary is 2.1 tonnes, which is considerably less when compared to the Klein (80
tonnes), the Bot (70 tonnes) and the Heuningnes (10 tonnes; Lamberth & Turpie 2003).
The economic value of the recreational fishery can be considered in terms of the expenditure
on fishing by recreational fishers (i.e. the income to subsidiary industries such as
accommodation and fuel). While the commercial and traditional fisheries are forms of
generating cash or subsistence income, and are largely valued in terms of the market value of
their catches, the value of recreational angling does not lie mainly in the market value of the
fish caught. Recreational anglers value the sport and experience, and expend considerable
sums on this activity, largely irrespective of their catch returns (McGrath et al. 1997). The
value attributed to this fishery is mostly in terms of gains to subsidiary industries that benefit
from angler expenditure (McGrath et al. 1997).
Uilkraals Estuary Situation Assessment
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