FOSAF FLYFISHING MILESTONES

Since its inception FOSAF has led and continues to lead a series of initiatives of benefit to fly fishing in particular and to the aquatic environment as a whole. Including:

• Negotiating with Government and Provincial Authorities on the situation in the Cape where angling for trout was deregulated. As a result of these negotiations and discussions, suitable arrangements have been worked out between the Cape Department of Nature Conservation and the Cape Piscatorial Society who now control these waters.
• Publishing an official journal which has grown into the popular bi-monthly magazine Fly Fishing. A magazine that, although we no longer have a financial interest in, continues to play a role in disseminating FOSAF communications to our members and the fly fishing public in general.
• Making donations to various organisations for research projects of benefit to flyfishing. These include cost effective breeding of trout, genetic selection and breeding tigerfish, and research on population genetics of yellowfish.
• Holding discussions with timber companies to promote flyfishing as a sport and to obtain concessions for flyfishers on their land or waters.
• Organising flyfishing expositions which have been held in Grahamstown, Barkly East, Stutterheim, King William's Town and Somerset East.
• Liaising with Provincial trout hatcheries and authorities regarding the breeding and stocking of trout.
• Organising a tour of prominent international flyfishers to South Africa to promote the sport of flyfishing and local flyfishing opportunities as a tourist attraction.
• Rendering advice and guidance to authorities and anglers concerning the ethics and discipline of trout fishing.
• Supporting the efforts of the Eastern Cape Chapter which has facilitated cost effective methods for rearing trout as well as researching and recommending the merits and value of stocking remote areas with trout fry.
• Assisting in funding and obtaining displays for the flyfishing section of the Knysna Angling Museum.
• Making important submissions to government on white papers on Forestry, Water Affairs and Environmental Affairs.
• Hosting a watershed workshop entitled "TROUT '94" where 33 presenters from government departments, researchers and other interested parties produced papers from which 61 issues emerged which were handled at a further workshop in August '95 and resulted in the formulation of FOSAF Policy Guidelines in 1996.
• Negotiating with the Mpumalanga Parks Board to prevent the de-regulation of the protection of trout waters which now have protection as flyfishing waters. Providing advice and guidance on the debate which resulted in permission being granted for the stocking of trout in Wakkerstroom.
• Producing and publishing the first comprehensive guide on flyfishing venues in Southern Africa, The Nedbank Guide to Flyfishing Venues in Southern Africa in 1996 with four subsequent editions published with sponsorship from Nedbank. This was a milestone in the promotion of and association with fly fishing by major sponsors.
• Obtaining a sponsored vehicle from Samcor for the Dept. of Ichthyology and Fisheries Science at Rhodes University in Grahamstown, for work on behalf of the Eastern Cape Chapter of FOSAF.
• Holding Trout '97 Workshop and developing proceedings on small scale breeding of trout, weed control, stocking strategies, managing high and low intensity fisheries and improving the productivity of man-made impoundments in Mpumalanga.
• Commissioning, also in 1997, a study on the economic benefits on flyfishing in South Africa by a researcher at Stellenbosch University, and a major market research project by Markinor in 2001.
• Founding the Yellowfish Working Group (YWG) to uplift the status of this magnificent indigenous freshwater game fish as an angling species and to promote its conservation, protection and re-habilitation. The first National YWG Conference was held in 1997 and subsequently conferences are held on an annual basis.
• Producing the highly acclaimed report State of the Yellowfish in South Africa - 2007 with sponsorship from the Water Research Commission, the Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism and the River Health Programme. This was followed by the Technical Report of 2008.
• Providing guidance and encouragement for the development of flyfishing facilities in all provinces of which the very successful Wild Trout Association of the Eastern Cape is a good example.
• Making financial contributions to conservation departments such as the Cape Nature Conservation to help fund the attendance of scientific officers at international conferences important to flyfishers.
• Liaising and co-operating with other NGO's with similar interests such as the Endangered Wild Life Trust, Eco Care Trust and Save the Vaal Environment.
• Instituting FOSAF Exemplary Service Awards. These have been awarded to Prof Kadar Asmal for his Working for Water Project, to Dr Louis Wolhuter and Garth Brook for their contribution in the production of the Nedbank Guide to Flyfishing Venues in Southern Africa, to Dr Douglas Hey of Cape Nature Conservation for his massive contribution to conservation and to Andy Lawlor for pioneering work on introducing paraplegics to fly fishing. Other notable recipients are Fred Croney, Ed Herbst, Bill Barnes, Pierre de Villiers, Dave Rorke, Brian von Holdt, Bill Bainbridge, Dean Impson, Harvey Venter, Jake Alletson, Theo van Niekerk, Mark Yelland and Trevor Babich.
• Co-operating with the Endangered Wildlife Trust and the Highland Crane Group by funding and advising on workshops on the situating of eco friendly dams and assisting with the pioneering Mpumalanga Highlands Wetland Study with a project cost of R100 000.
• Assisting the Free State Chapter with the stocking of the Swartwater impoundment that produced the incredible 18lb. 2½oz. Rainbow trout caught by Mike Posthumous.
• Assisting a faculty member of Stellenbosch University to attend a conference in Australia to present a paper on small development programmes for aquaculture in South Africa.
• Providing funding to the Wild Trout Association and Rhodes University for their Geographical Information System project to help to manage fly fishing waters and provide useful information to anglers.
• Providing funding to the KwaZulu-Natal Chapter of FOSAF and the School of Environment and Development to assess and develop the potential of fly fishing in the Underberg district with community-based resource management strategies.
• Sponsoring renowned international anglers and authors Darrel Martin (USA) and Taff Price (UK) to fish for our indigenous yellowfish and saltwater species and promote South African flyfishing in the international press.
• Developing a FOSAF Website that providing up-to-date reports on angling conditions throughout the country.
• Initiating in 2001, through the Yellowfish Working Group, a major study on the population genetics of the two Orange-Vaal yellowfish species. This study was undertaken mainly with funding by AngloGold-Ashanti and Lesotho Highlands Authority while much of the initial sampling was undertaken by YWG volunteers. The study was finalized in 2007 and these findings have led to other organizations carrying out similar studies on other yellowfish species.
• Helping job creation by supporting the Highlands Academy, set up to train previous disadvantaged youngsters as fly fishing guides.
• Publishing various papers and bulletins including The Yellowfish Working Group Newsletter and The Tippet a general newsletter to FOSAF members as well as various pamphlets of interest to fly fishermen in general.
• Launched the FOSAF Guide to Southern Africa which replaces the old Nedbank Guide thus continuing to provide the fly-fishing industry with an invaluable service.
• In May 2011 formed a coalition named the 'Steenkampsberg Environmental Initiative' together with the Mpumalanga Tourism & Parks Authority and a number of environmental NGO's such as EWT, Birdlife SA and WESSA. The objective is to protect from mining and other inappropriate developments the unique and endangered biodiversity and extensive wetlands of the Dullstroom plateau. This area also includes much of the famous Trout Triangle.
• For the last 6 years have been negotiating with the authorities with regard to the provisions of the National Environmental Management:Biodiversity Act (NEM:BA) with particular reference to those fishes classified as alien/invasives including trout.
• UJ study.
  Commissioned the University of Johannesburg to undertake a study of the tourist industry in Dullstroom and surrounding region. Results to be presented in Dullstroom on 9 April 2013 and later to be published and also included on this website.