As published in Farmers Weekly
There has never been a better time for dam owners to develop an environmentally sound fishery which will be financially successful. Carp Fishing is a smart choice for clever land management.
South Africa is idyllic for Carp Fishing
South Africa’s climate is ideally suited for carp, allowing for enormous growth (over 50kg’s), and the sport is experiencing exponential growth worldwide, but especially in SA. For dam owners, even smaller venues (just a few acres), there lies a depth of potential in the depths of your waterways. Cleverly stocked and properly cared for, your dam could offer impressive returns on your investment, becoming a valuable source of alternative income.
Carp fishing is the fastest growing angling sport in SA. In a couple of decades, the sport has gone from just a handful of dedicated anglers to nearly 200,000, and this matches what we’re seeing globally. Today, carp are the most sought after species for recreational anglers in Europe. In the UK alone, freshwater angling has become an industry that generates £1.4 billion (R 31,000,000,000) annually.
When you combine this growing sport, perfect growing conditions and SA’s dominance in outdoor tourism, you’ve got a winning triumvirate that translates to a huge potential for profit.
Making Waves
Internationally, South Africa is making major headlines in the world of carp angling, having won 5 world championships in recent years. Current Protea Team Captain Gilbert Foxcroft proudly explains;
“In 2008 the Championships were held in South Africa and we won, smashing 8 of the 9 available World Records in Carp Angling. In 2009 Team England Manager, Mitch Smith, told us that SA were lucky and had ‘Home’ advantage…that we will NEVER win in Europe. Well, we did it again, winning by the biggest margin ever. In 2010, we won at the Home of Carp Angling (England); in 2011 we went to Italy and won again. From there, we had a few top 10’s until we won the World Championship in SA again in 2019. Something we can all be extremely proud of!”
World Champions! Protea team celebrating their 5th World Carp Angling Championships in 2019
We didn’t let England win all the championships, so why should we let them reap all the revenue? If South Africa can take better care and conservation of its venues and fish stocks, it will go a long way in becoming internationally recognised as a great carp fishing nation, especially with the amount of dams that could be turned in to top-class venues.
Transforming a dam into a profitable Carp Fishing Venue
A new phenomenon is emerging in SA, the proliferation of private dams dedicated to specimen carp fishing. Carp anglers will often fish for several days straight, so the security of a private venue, rather than potentially dangerous public dams, is highly sought after and creates a profitable business opportunity for dam owners.
Many dams are already used for fishing, but stocking fast growing carp and managing the venue for specimen angling will certainly increase revenue. The average cost for carp fishing is currently between R150-R250 per 24 hrs, and additionally anglers might be paying a membership fee of up to R2,500 per year to be able to fish at that particular venue. If the syndicate/club has 20-30 members, then the potential income is clear to see.
South Africa is also an international tourist destination, and adding carp angling to the array of attractions already here is a win-win situation. Domestically carp anglers will travel all over the country to fish a venue known for containing big carp. As the industry continues to rapidly grow, so does the possibility of transforming a dam into a very profitable income stream.
With the correct fish, the correct management and the safety aspect, the potential to increase carp fishing in South Africa is inestimable, something Gilbert Foxcroft wholeheartedly agrees with;
“With the right fish stocked we will prove to the world that we can produce multiple world record fish in record time. We have the perfect climate and many venues have pristine water quality. It has the potential of bringing carp angling tourists from around the world”.
Protea Team Captain & 5 – time World Carp Angling Champion Gilbert Foxcroft with a magnificent fully scaled mirror carp
World class carp now available in South Africa
One man who has imported world class carp into South Africa is Frederick Sterzel, owner of Mega Carp International, which is the only fish farm in the country to breed and rear giant carp specifically for stocking into recreational fisheries.
After a lifelong fishing affair with carp, Frederick was aware that the biggest carp in our waters were generally small in comparison to the European carp. Since carp came to South Africa from Europe in the first place, he realised we had ended up with an inferior strain of carp.
“My mind would not let go of the fact that we had the dwarfs of the carp world and that we should not settle for less than the best”.
Mega Carp now breeds and rears exceptional carp in a bio-secure environment, where they never come into contact with any diseased fish or fish with inferior genetics. The very best are selected for sale, allowing fishing venues to prosper by stocking and growing these carp that quickly grow into giants in the right environment.
A Mega Carp Oct 2018, 30cm & weighing 600gm Same fish, March 2019 weighing 6kgs
What’s so special about Mega Carp?
The original brood stock was chosen by deeply dedicated and devoted fish experts from some of the biggest fish ever caught. They were placed on a 20 year breeding programme with annual selection of the biggest fish bred. It is a selection of fish from these giants that Frederick imported, guaranteeing only the best outcome in terms of size, quality, shape and scale patterns. These carp are disease free with local and international disease free certificates”.
“We expected a growth rate of around 3 kg’s per year. Nothing could have prepared us for 7kgs per year and a fish reaching half a meter in 6 months! This was altogether beyond our wildest expectations”.
Poor quality ‘wild’ carp will rarely grow big Great genetics & right environment = Huge Carp
“Simply taking carp out of the ‘wild’ and expecting them to produce great fish, is wishful thinking and one would be sorely disappointed. We have kept the local strain of carp for many years prior to the Mega Carp era and had fish which after 15 years had not reached 10kg!”.
No fishing venue management should ever allow the introduction of wild South African Carp into any venue, regardless of the size of the fish. This will be the ONLY way to prevent KHV and other diseases & parasites from being introduced into bodies of water. Fish in one venue might not show signs of disease, and transferring them into another dam can be disastrous, resulting in total wipe-out of the fish stocks and the future of the venue for years to come.
Making it easy
Not only does Mega Carp supply the fish, but they also have specialists to advise on how to transform any dam into a rich aquatic environment for the carp to flourish in. Their goal is to work with nature and create optimal conditions for the carp, so the dam owners input is minimal after stocking the fish. Their team of experts will also assist in creating individual & confidential long term fishery management plans so that your venue can succeed, both environmentally and financially.
Quality not Quantity
Specimen carp fishing is not about catching the most fish, rather the endless pursuit for big, beautiful carp. Like any animal, if put into the right environment and little competition for food, carp will thrive and grow at incredible rates, reaching specimen sizes within 2-3 years, and live for decades.
Therefore, a dam owner doesn’t have to stock vast numbers of carp into their water, but combine the fish stocking with a focus on enhancing the aquatic ecosystem of the dam, which Mega Carp specialise in. The results will be healthy, specimen-sized carp, which is what the carp anglers are searching for.
Mirror carp have varied scale patterns, so individual fish are easily recognised. Many of the biggest specimens will be fondly named by the anglers who might spend years trying to lure that one fish to the bank.
Diverse scale patterns make carp easily recognisable for dam owners & anglers alike
Conclusions
It’s clear that South Africa has the perfect environment for carp to thrive in, and therefore creating opportunities for dam owners to turn their venues into profitable specimen carp fisheries. The quality genetics and expert fishery advice is now available in South Africa, meaning that fish stocked into the right environment can reach specimen sizes within a few years, and will live for several decades. Short term investment, long term returns.
Carpe Diem?
Dave Charley
Fishery Improvement Specialist
specimenfisheries@gmail.com