Cape Town - While local fishing communities in the West Coast are unhappy with the "unfair" way their grievances around quota allocations are being dealt with, big fishing companies say they are trying to find ways to secure jobs.
Local fisherman Gerald Zacharias, 37, said big businesses were stealing food from their mouths.
“I have been in the industry for about 15 years, and things are getting worse for us local fishermen because big businesses are using our services to make a big profit while we go home with almost nothing,” he said.
In contrast, farm manager Nico Prins from the biggest and oldest mussel farm in the country, Blue Ocean Mussels, said things were looking good for the company.
“A lot of guys are coming into mussel and oyster farming, expanding the industry.
"The hope and idea is to expand South Africa’s industry to a world-class standard.”
Nick Loubser from West Coast Oyster Growers said the company wanted to contribute to the local community.
“Though fairly small, with fewer than five employees, the company plans to contribute to existing and future aquaculture developments in the Saldanha Bay and Langebaan areas,” he said.
He added that the company hoped to increase employment opportunities for local fishermen on the West Coast.
West Coast Oyster Growers produces three million oysters per year from its farm in Saldanha Bay on the West
Coast.
It exports fresh oysters to China.
Molapong Trout Sea Cage farm manager, Barend Stander, said their aim was to foster relationships with local companies to develop local produce.
“At the moment we have six staff (members). Once the company grows to a larger capacity, we hope to employ about 70 staff, excluding the support staff of the hatcheries and the processing plants,” he said.
Stander added that the company would only produce fish for the South African market.