Cymatoceps nasutus was heavily exploited throughout the 20th century which has led to a decrease in abundance and mean size (Penney
et al. 1999, Maggs
et al. 2013). Although a formal stock assessment has not been undertaken for
Cymatoceps nasutus, the trend in catch per unit effort (CPUE) has declined significantly in KwaZulu-Natal (Penney
et al. 1999) and it is estimated that the stocks have declined to ~20% of their historical values (Griffiths and Lamberth 2002). CPUE of
C. nasutus in Tsitskamma National Park showed an increase from 1998 to 2005 CPUE (Götz
et al. 2008) while CPUE in the no-take zones of the Pondoland Marine Protected Area (MPA) was higher (0.37 fish/angler/hr) than in the adjacent exploited area (0.23 fish/angler/hr) from 2006 to 2011 (Maggs
et al. 2013). Using targeted commercial effort data, there has been a significant decline in CPUE from 0.43 kg/man/hr in 1985 to 0.33 kg/man/hr in 2007 (National Marine Linefish System unpublished data). Increasing mean annual CPUE (~55%) over the last eight years (between 1998 and 2005) in Tsitsikamma National Park was recorded (James
et al. 2012); however, this figure should be viewed with caution as the generation time for
C. nasutus is 16 years.
There was little change in total commercial catch between 1930–1933 (10 tonnes) and 1986–1987 (12 tonnes) in KwaZulu-Natal (Buxton and Clarke 1989). However, the total reported commercial catch for this species has declined from a peak of 25 tonnes in 1987 to less than four tonnes in 2003–2007 (National Marine Linefish System unpublished data).
The trend in catch composition is also thought to have declined in KwaZulu-Natal similarly to other large, slow growing, endemic sparids (Penney
et al. 1999). A significant decline in catch composition was recorded in the Transkei between 1984 and 1992 due to voluntary cessation of catch by commercial fishers (Hecht and Buxton 1993).
Male to female sex ratios in the Eastern Cape were reported to be strongly biased in favour of females (1:6) (Buxton and Clarke 1989). Mean size of
C. nasutus has decreased, with almost 100% of the current catch weighing less than five kg and catches of trophy fish by coastal recreational anglers that were once common are now extremely rare (Murray and Cowley 2012). Mean size of
C. nasutus was significantly larger in the Pondoland MOA (41.7 cm FL) compared to the adjacent exploited area (38.0 cm FL) (Maggs
et al. 2013).
Commercial data show that since 2000, commercial fishing effort has declined dramatically in the South African line-fishery from approximately 3,000 to 450 vessels, in line with the long-term fisheries rights allocation process implemented in 2006 (Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries 2012).
