Private security officials recovered 216 units of illegally harvested perlemoen and assisted in arresting one suspect on January 2 near the Noordhoek ski boat club, along the Nelson Mandela Bay coast. This was just one of numerous incidents where poached perlemoen was recovered during the festive season, and experts say there is no way of knowing exactly how much perlemoen actually made it to the black market in recent weeks. (Photo: Supplied / Dark Water Ops) 
Holidaymakers flocked to the beaches around Nelson Mandela Bay as the region enjoyed beautiful weather and calm seas for most of the festive season.
Unfortunately, these conditions were also favoured by those stripping the coastline of its natural resources, and perlemoen poachers capitalised on the lovely weather in December to line their pockets.
And as we ushered in a new year, there seemed to be no slowing down, as the staggering figures shared by private security operatives indicate that poaching continues unabated, despite several arrests and large quantities of illegally harvested perlemoen being confiscated.
While the full impact of these illegal coastal activities will probably never be known, the numbers linked to the 20km of shoreline under the watchful eye of Dark Water Ops is concerning.
During December the private firm, contracted to patrol along the offshore perlemoen ranches between Cape Recife and Schoenmakerskop, recovered 5,200 units of perlemoen during routine monitoring and special operations, and more than 400 in the first week of January.
“But this is probably just a drop in the ocean as we cannot even begin to tally how much perlemoen is being stripped outside our region, and how much is slipping through the nets and making it onto the black market,” Dark Water Ops operations director Nicky Erasmus said.
The bulk of the perlemoen recovered by the firm was found hidden along the shoreline – hidden by divers for “runners” to collect later.
On 12 December, bags containing 720 units of the shellfish were recovered, and 17 days later another 857 units were recovered not far away. Erasmus said their operatives also assisted in the arrest of five suspects across four special operations over a three-week period.
“The latest arrest came on January 2. Our operatives were monitoring suspicious activity between the Noordhoek Ski Boat Club and the Willows holiday resort when they noted the suspects load bags into the back of a Toyota Etios.
“We confronted the driver and upon searching his vehicle found 216 units of perlemoen. Police arrested the suspect and his vehicle was also confiscated,” Erasmus said.
/file/attachments/orphans/PerliesDecember2_109767.jpeg "Shortly after a perlemoen haul was loaded into the back of this gold Toyota Etios, near the Noordhoek Ski Boat Club on the outskirts of Gqeberha, members of private security firm Dark Water Ops swooped in and detained the suspect. (Photo: Supplied / Dark Water Ops)")
Apart from a few days of rain, Erasmus said clear skies, good weather and calm seas ironically created a “perfect storm” for poachers to flood the surf.
“Some nights our units counted anywhere between 250 and 300 divers in the water at once. We anticipated heavy activity, so none of our operatives were able to take time off for the festive season. Our firm required all hands on deck, and still we can only do so much to curb the illegal perlemoen trade,” Erasmus said.
A source within the police confirmed the arrests by Dark Water Ops and echoed Erasmus’ insights into the illegal harvesting activities.
“Dark Water Ops do good work and they are a great asset to the police as we operate with very limited resources. However, they can only cover a small part of the coastline, and we see poaching activity branching out far beyond the 20km they monitor.
“We know that the Kouga region has seen more activity recently, and there have been incidents off the coast, particularly around Bird Island, which is a protected area,” the source said.
“On top of that, suspects are arrested and back in the waves within a few days. Either they get bail, or they admit guilt and get a slap on the wrist. Fines do not deter them because they make good money.”
Read more: Criminals rake in millions as perlemoen poaching booms along Nelson Mandela Bay coast
The illegal perlemoen trade has been an ongoing challenge in and around Nelson Mandela Bay, and concerns are mounting not only about the economic impact of the black market and the environmental impact of stripping the ocean, but also about the money that the illicit perlemoen trade (estimated at R1.2-billion) is feeding back into criminal syndicates. DM