Abalone poachers had better watch out

At a ceremony held in Hermanus, Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, Tina Joemat-Pettersson told the military veterans that there were unlikely to battle to catch the poachers who usually have state-of-the-art boats capable of out-running anti-poaching officers.

The chase boats are capable of between 42 and 48 knots and can get close inshore in rocky areas or kelp beds where poachers mostly operate. Since the launch of the first two new chase boats, 26 poacher's boats had already been confiscated and R1 million in abalone seized.

The 60 military veterans who will be used for anti-poaching activities will be deployed from Rooi Els to Arniston, the most heavily poached 140km stretch of coastline.

For more:

• Eyewitness News: Boats to quell abalone poaching
  
• SABC News: - 20111114 Anti-Poaching project launched in W Cape