Cape Town - Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Minister Senzeni Zokwana may have made provision for interim relief fishers in granting them access to a total allowable catch (TAC) allocation for West Coast Rock Lobster, but this would place additional pressure on already struggling small-scale fishers.
The TAC for West Coast Rock Lobster was cut 43.6% for the 2018/19 fishing season. This left 2000 fishers facing devastating effects on their socio-economic conditions, prompting them to seek interim relief.
But in granting the relief, Zokwana has allocated a portion of the 140tons apportioned to small-scale fishers, and not from the bulk that TAC large-scale commercial fishing operations are allowed to take from the sea.
Co-chair of the South African Small Scale Fisheries Collective (SASSFC) Pedro Garcia said the decision showed the lack of communication with small-scale fishers.
“This is something we have been requesting for a month and it was completely ignored by the department. But our main concern at the moment is they said they will be releasing a portion of 140 tons of West Coast Lobster but we are not sure when and how because these small-scale fishers are in need of it urgently,” Garcia said.
The TAC of West Coast rock lobster was reduced by nearly half for the 2018/19 fishing season last month. The allocation comes following a ruling by the Western Cape High Court that found the 2017/18 allocation unconstitutional.
“We hope in the new year that engagements with the department will not be fruitless. They have showed over and over again that they are not willing to listen,” Garcia added.
Zokwana said the relief was granted to the interim fishers because the department had not yet vetted all the small-scale fishing operations and co-operatives, and was therefore unable to grant them all a fishing quota.
“This approval is based on the fact that the delegated authority will not be in a position to allocate small-scale fishing rights in the Western Cape within the West Coast Rock Lobster offshore fishing season as the department is still in the process of registering small-scale fishing co-operatives to be allocated small-scale fishing rights,” the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries said in a statement.
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