Issue 48
October 2023
Congratulations to the winners of the
Breede River Estuary Photography Competition!
©Chloe Smit
Canon EOS 7D Mark II
f/5.6
1/500 sec
ISO 640
400 mm
1st Place - Young Photography Category
Chloe Smit – Age 10
“Seedy”
Canon PowerShot ZOOM camera
©Mike Dohlhoff
Canon EOS 7D Mark II
f/7.1
1/3200 sec
ISO 500
400 mm
1st Place
Mike Dohlhoff
“Black-shouldered Kite”
R5,000 Orms Gift Voucher
©Jacque Smit
Canon EOS 7D Mark II
f/5.6
1/1250
400 mm
2nd Place
Jacque Smit
“Southern Red Bishop”
Case of Sijnn 2015 Flagship Red Wine
©Tiger Bailey
Nikon D500
f/5
1/400 sec
ISO 400
60mm
3rd Place
Brandon Bailey
“Spider in Web”
AfriTrail Eland Mega Camping Chair
2023 International Coastal Clean-up
With Vondeling Primary School
The International Coastal Clean-up 2023 was a great success! We were joined by Grades 1 to 6 from Vondeling Primary School, as well as members of the public. We removed 32 bags of rubbish from the coast weighing over 132 kilograms! Many thanks to our sponsors: Plastics|SA for the refuse bags, Wimpy Heidelberg for the food and drink parcels for every student, Koffie ‘n Kletz / Witsand Market for the lucky draw vouchers and lastly The Anchorage Beach Restaurant & Bar for the awesome venue and coffee as always. (Due to privacy regulations we came up with unique ways of photographing all the kids!)
Safety Lights Installed on the Government Jetty
Yellow safety lights have been fitted to the outermost poles of the Government Jetty in Witsand in accordance with SAMSA aids-to-navigation standards.
The Witsand-facing side of the lights have been blocked out to eliminate light pollution. Please do not rotate the lights to ensure that the flashing side faces towards the estuary.
We are very pleased to announce that Recreational Fishing Permits are now available online! Please visit https://www.fishing.dffe.gov.za/ and follow the steps below to purchase your permit before the fish start biting.
Please remember that should you intend fishing from a vessel, at least one crew member requires the permit condition for an "additional fee per vessel for recreational fishing from such vessel" to be selected.
We have experienced technical difficulties during the checkout process resulting in payment errors, however this issue appears to be intermittent.
Get to know the
Snakes of the Breede Estuary
Full colour A5 copies are available at our office in Witsand. Please contact us should you wish to collect copies from a different boat licence sales outlet.
Breede River Locations Map
Click here to view a map of the Breede River Estuary containing the locations of popular spots, attractions, restaurants & pubs, accommodation, boat licence sales outlets, public slipways, and more!
It's time to renew your Municipal Boat Licence!
Boat licences need to be renewed annually from July. Recreational boat licences for the Breede River are available from any of the six outlets as well as online (link below). In accordance with the Municipal Financial Year, all annual licences are valid from the 1st of July 2023 until the 30th of June 2024.
Please note: Commercial licences are required for vessels used in commercial operations, such as chartering, rentals and houseboats. Please apply in writing to info@breede-river.org
Please renew your LBRCT membership
Memberships are due for renewal from the 1st of July 2023.
Not yet a member?
If you take an active interest in, or use the Breede River Estuary, we encourage you to become a member of the LBRCT and support our worthwhile endeavours on your behalf by way of contributing to these efforts.
Monthly Monitoring
Water Quality and Bird Counts
The LBRCT conducts a monthly bird count and water quality run on the Breede River. Both operations are conducted at spring low tide (full moon or new moon). On the water quality run this accounts for the pushing tide increasing the salinity of the water upriver as we travel and test. The bird count takes place at low tide to observe and record the different species as they forage on the exposed mudflats.
For the latest results please click here.
2023 Lower Breede River Flood
Heavy rainfall across the Western Cape province during June resulted in the flooding of the Lower Breede River. The above-average rainfall can be attributed to multiple factors, including a cut-off low, climate change and El Niño events. With the catchment area for the Breede River covering over 12 000 square kilometres, it was no surprise when the river started flowing faster, dead trees passed by and evacuation procedures were in full force.
However, it was to everyone's surprise when over one September weekend in the Western Cape, nature’s fury was unleashed with seemingly unprecedented intensity. Roads were submerged and communities cut off from the outside world. In what is almost certainly the wettest year in the province’s recent history, the Heritage Day weekend saw more rain in three days than in the previous two months. Once again, the Lower Breede River flooded, except this time with little warning.
The majority of property damage occurred to low-lying dwellings, jetty structures, and gardens with tonnes of sand and mud being deposited on the riverbanks. On the plus side, the floods have significantly reduced the water hyacinth issues experienced upriver.
