STATEMENT: THREE SPECIES BONANZA SPONSORED BY SUZUKI MARINE
13 September 2017
Suzuki Marine South Africa has taken note of the concerns raised regarding our involvement in the Three Species Bonanza held at Loskop Dam on 9 September 2017. Suzuki Marine South Africa acknowledges our participation in the support of a non catch-and-release competition and would like to offer our unreserved apologies to the South African fishing community
As part of our commitment to anglers, Suzuki actively sponsors fishing competitions such as the very popular Three Species Bonanza. Permission to host such an event needs to go through the Mpumalanga Parks Board who manages the dam on behalf of the Department of Water Affairs.
While we are not actively involved in the organising of the event, the Three Species Bonanza Organisers liaise with the Mpumalanga Tourism and Parks Agency and Forever Resorts to make sure the competition is held in compliance with the Nature Conservation Act.
The Mpumalanga Tourism and Parks Agency issued the fishing permit for the competition and included the explicit instruction that all fish weighed in for the competition may not be returned to the dam. It also instructed that any carp and bass caught may not be returned to the dam as part of its efforts to nurture the local ecology and reduce foreign fish species.
The organizers also conducted the skippers meeting for all anglers, informing them of safety regulations and clearly advising them to only keep fish they think have a chance of winning a competition. No fish are taken out of the dam unnecessarily.
All fish weighed are utilised. Loskop Dam is located next to a huge informal settlement, and the staff of the resort as well as other community members receive these fish to prepare meals and to feed their families, ensuring that no fish were wasted.
The Three Species Competition generates a welcome boost to the local small businesses around Loskop Dam who supply consumables to the visiting anglers. Moreover, all proceeds from the fishing competition are donated to underprivileged communities around Loskop Dam and Middelburg.
The Mpumalanga Tourism and Parks Agency has confirmed that the organisers have acted in terms of the permit conditions to take out alien fish species – carp and bass – which is in compliance with The Nature Conservation Act.
The permit conditions were also inspected, supported and sanctioned by the Eco-Care Trust, an NPO tasked with monitoring the water ecology of dams such as the Loskop Dam.
Suzuki Marine also received the support of the South African Council for Geosciences Chemistry Division, which monitored the competition and which studied several samples of fish after the competition, both for the use of correct fishing practices and in support of its study of the chemical character of local lakes and dams.
Suzuki Marine South Africa welcomes all the feedback it has received from fans of the sport which we will study in order to improve our support of future competitions. With immediate effect, we are in discussion with the competition organisers and environmental authorities to align future events with international standards where possible.
Any person who would like to share additional ideas, suggestions or concerns with us, can send an email to tanjam@suzukiauto.co.za. We will collate this information and make sure that it is received and read by the organisers and environmental authorities.
As a sponsor of open angling tournaments, Suzuki aims to promote angling and bring new participants to the sport. Suzuki Marine SA as well as Boat Caravan and Camping have contributed towards many conservation operations, including aquatic monitoring and removal of unlawful gillnets projects driven by NGO’s such as Eco-Care Trust.
Suzuki Marine remains committed to the boating and fishing communities and is determined to support environmentally sound and sustainable fishing practices.
Suzuki Marine South Africa
