The primary legislation governing marine and estuary recreational angling is the Marine Living Resources Act (Act 18 of 1998; MLRA), its amendments and associated Regulations. The main amendment of relevance to recreational fishing is Act 5 of 2014 that implements the small-scale fisheries policy.
Additional legislation that impacts on the recreational sector includes the National Environmental Management Protected Areas Act (Act 57 of 2003; NEM:PAA) and NEM Protected Areas Amendment Act (Act 21 of 2014), as well as the off-road vehicle regulations (ORV Regs) of 2001 and their amendment of 2004 (more popularly known to anglers as the beach vehicle ban).
The newly promulgated Threatened or Protected Species (TOPS) Regulations and Lists for marine species are now available. They regulate activities that are either prohibited, exempted or allowed if a permit is obtained. Several species that are caught by recreational anglers are affected so take some time to familiarize yourself with these documents.