Fish without a permit
Your plate goes up here
The WTA’s public register of vehicles found on member property without a valid day permit displayed. Launched September 2012.
The process
The WTA takes the protection of its riparian members’ property and the integrity of its permit system seriously. Members who find vehicles parked on their property (or a neighbour’s) without a valid permit on the dashboard are asked to photograph three things:
The permit
The missing or invalid permit on the dashboard.
The plate
The vehicle’s registration plate.
The context
Where the vehicle is parked.
The vehicle registration is cross-checked against the day permit record. If no purchase is found, the images are published on the WTA’s Wall of Shame page, and remain there until a written apology is received along with payment of any outstanding permit fees. Should the culprit re-offend, images remain permanently.
Why this matters
The WTA’s entire operation depends on permit revenue being collected honestly and distributed to the farmers who provide access to the water. Permit fraud and unauthorised fishing undermine the financial viability of the fishery and betray the trust of the farming community that has made this resource available since 1991.
An advantage of the system is that vehicle registration numbers are recorded on the day permit together with the date and purchaser’s details, making it straightforward to establish whether an unknown vehicle found on a farm near trouting water is there legally.
Wall of Shame
Vehicle: CMV 246 EC
Location: Bell River, Beat 3
Status: Outstanding
Empty Dashboard
Vehicle: WXL 070 EC
Location: Bell River, Beat 3
Status: Taken by legal permit holders on 12-5-2019
Status: Envelope together with R500 that appeared anonymously at Walkerbouts recently: “Conscience money”!