In search of the rarist 'yellow' of all - Witvis (Barbus andrewi)

[Gael]

I don’t mean to upset anyone by this post, rather just speak my mind

I would have thought that with the Witvis being so endangered one would not want to try and catch these rare creatures out of fear of harming the few remaining fish we have left.

[pieterkriel]

Hi Gael,

Valid point, but in these weird times it is quite often the hunters (or anglers in this case) that create a demand for certain species, and this is the way that they survive.

Think about it this way, the species is already declining and endangered. Without someone wanting to catch them, very little will possibly be done to change the current trend. People are generally not going to put in alot of effort without getting something back in return.

Not sure if this makes sense

I have to agree with this, if there is a reason to protect it may be protected, if they are just let be and no one dispays any intrest who knows..but is fishing for them enough though, should it not be publisized so more become aware of the sad, sad situation of this species?

[Gael]

Look, I agree with you guys, more often that not it’s the people that utilise a resource that are the most proactive in trying to preserve it. Perfect example of this is the duck hunters in the USA fighting for the preservation of their wetlands.

What would probably help is to know exactly how many of them are remaining, being up here I’m not really aware of the numbers. If they were on the verge of extinction, which I hope they aren’t, I would be worried that any form of detrimental human contact could be catastrophic for the species and the viability of the remaining gene pool.

As you were fishing with a nature conservation official, it seems that we aren’t at that point yet and let’s hope that it never does.

[Chris Shelton]

According to Dean, along with the barbel and the carp, the witvis populations should improve in the Breede system and the bass will continue to decline.

We came across 1000's of what we think is witvis fry in the shallows, but they are still too small to identify. Could be redfin minnows. Dean took some samplings, which he will be growing on in ponds. The breeding and stocking program is already underway, but not being advertised yet, because at this moment in time, the demand is too great, as more and more people are wanting to stock indigenous fish in dams around the Cape. Apart from the barbel and carp that are taking over in the Breede, this is all good news.

[pieterkriel]

According to Dean, along with the barbel and the carp, the witvis populations should improve in the Breede system and the bass will continue to decline.

We came across 1000's of what we think is witvis fry in the shallows, but they are still too small to identify. Could be redfin minnows. Dean took some samplings, which he will be growing on in ponds. The breeding and stocking program is already underway, but not being advertised yet, because at this moment in time, the demand is too great, as more and more people are wanting to stock indigenous fish in dams around the Cape. Apart from the barbel and carp that are taking over in the Breede, this is all good news.

if the barbel and carp plays a part in controlling the bass population it is not all bad that they are there, if the witvis population can get bigger and live together with the carp and barbel as the SM yellows in other place do, then at least we will be in the position to again have the Witvis population revive a bit, also carp and barbel can all be targetted on fly as well..