Berg River


The Berg River is a river located just north of Cape Town in the Western Cape Province of South Africa. It is approximately 294 km long with a catchment area of and empties into the Atlantic Ocean. About 65% of the Berg River area is under agriculture. The major towns in the Berg River area are Velddrif and Laaiplek near the coast, and Piketberg, Hopefield, Moorreesburg and Darling further inland.

Course

The Berg River can be subdivided into the following segments:
  • Upper Berg River and tributaries
  • Upper Middle Berg River and tributaries
  • Lower Middle Berg River and tributaries
  • Lower Berg River and tributaries

    History

The first known European record of the Berg River was made by bailiff Abraham Gabbema in 1657 when Dutch Governor Jan van Riebeeck sent him to trade with the Khoikhoi for meat for the settlement at the Cape. Gabbema named the river the ‘Groot Berg Rivier’. In years to follow many of van Riebeeck's men relied on the river waters and followed its winding course as they ventured northwards. Despite Gabbema's visit, the Berg Catchment was not developed until Governor Simon van der Stel’s time, prior to which settlement was limited to the Peninsula. Governor van der Stel visited the area with the first free burghers, and prompted by the Berg River’s fertility and beauty, he established the first European settlements at Paarl and in the Drakenstein valley in 1687. Wellington, Franschhoek and Tulbagh were established shortly after this as the farmlands expanded.

Ecology

The 2004 government report on the river said: "Historically, the Berg River was one of many habitats in the Cape inhabited by hippos but, in the late 1600s, hunters began overexploiting the hippos for their meat and hides, resulting in a decline in their numbers. By the mid-1700s, they had declined to such an extent that governor Tulbagh introduced a fine of 1000 guilders for anyone caught killing a hippo. Despite this protection, their numbers continued to dwindle as human settlement altered and destroyed their habitat. By the early 1800s, perhaps only a dozen remained, sheltering in the region of Kersefontein and the estuary. In 1829, only six hippos remained. The last known hippo was shot in 1869 by Martin Melck when it attacked and killed one of his employees." See Skead for more details.
The Berg River's native fishes contain some species which are endemic to the region such as the Cape galaxias and Berg River redfin. They have been adversely affected by unsustainable human use of the water, but mainly by expanding stocks of exotic fishes, which were originally introduced to establish a European-type fishery. Most problematic among these is the predatory Smallmouth Bass. The Cape whitefish - listed Endangered in the IUCN Red List - seems to have disappeared from the Berg River proper in recent times; this large species it survives elsewhere and may be suitable for fishery or aquaculture. The Berg River redfin has one of its last major populations in the Berg River; its decline there seems to have stopped or at least slowed, but it too is already listed as Endangered by the IUCN. Trout are also a problem in the upper Berg river.

Berg Estuary Ramsar Site

In 2022, the 1162.8 ha Berg Estuary Ramsar Site was designated around the Berg River. Around 127 species of waterbird have been recorded in the surrounding wetland habitat, including the threatened Cape cormorant. Threatened fish found within its waters include white steenbras and white stumpnose.