Law Enforcement officers surprised abalone poachers in Melkbosstrand on Sunday morning who abandoned their stash when they spotted cops.
Law Enforcement spokesperson, Wayne Dyason, says officers of the Marine Unit auxiliary staff joined the Melkbosstrand Neighbourhood Watch’s Anti-Poaching Unit on a poaching operation.
“It was during the early hours of Sunday morning. The officers with an alert canine officer spotted the divers on the beach with bags of abalone.
“As the officers approached the divers retreated back into the water and disappeared. They left behind 240 units of unshucked and shucked abalone which was handed over to Melkbos police.”
He says during a joint operation with Table Mountain National Parks rangers they disrupted a huge lobster poaching operation in the Olifants Bos area of the Cape Point Nature reserve.
“Boats were seen earlier heading out to sea at high speed so officers were aware that incidents of poaching were likely.
“The officers noticed empty plastic bottles with green glow sticks inside them bobbing in the water. They investigated and about 40 nets were observed in the water.
“They also noticed a vessel quickly turning around and running back towards Hout Bay. The boat was too far ahead so a chase was impractical.
“The officers recovered 11 nets and threw back more than 200 lobsters that were trapped in the nets.”