A man has been arrested and 39 West Coast rock lobster tails and a car were seized near Kommetjie in the Cape, the environmental affairs and tourism department said on Monday.

An environmental affairs inspector's suspicions were raised when he saw people fishing at Forsyth Beach with five canoes on Saturday, department spokesperson Carol Moses said in a statement.

"After approximately 45 minutes, three suspects ran up to a red Ford Cortina bakkie and put a bag on the back of a bakkie and drove off."

The inspector called the police, who gave chase to the vehicle, stopped it and escorted it to a police station where they found the lobster tails in a secret compartment in the car.

Moses said an Oceanview man had been charged for transporting West Coast rock lobster not in a whole state and without a permit. He would appear in the Simonstown Magistrate's Court on Monday.

She said the action seemed to have deterred other would-be poachers as no illegal activity was observed in the area for the rest of the weekend.