The World Wide Fund for Nature South Africa (WWF-SA) says that Western Coast Rock Lobster (WCRL) stock levels are now at an all-time low and could spell the end of the line for the fishery.
This follows the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries’ (DAFF) decision on the 2017/18 fishing season that the total allowable catch (TAC) would remain unchanged at at 1924.08 tons as per the 2016/17 season.
WWF-SA’s marine programme senior manager John Duncan said it was “deeply concerning”, considering the stock levels were at an all-time low of 1/40 of their unfished levels.
“This fishery is a critical source of income and livelihood for many small-scale fishing communities in the Western and Northern Cape. Historically one of South Africa’s most commercially important fisheries, it has declined dramatically over the last 50 years as a result of overfishing to the point where it is now facing the very real threat of commercial extinction within the next five years,” he said.
The WWF-SA in 2011, along with other fishery stakeholders and the department, agreed to a recovery target of increasing stock levels by 35% over the next 10 years, said Duncan, but subsequent TAC decisions were not in line with those commitments.
The Hout Bay Fishers Community Trust forms part of the grouping calling itself the “Collective”, which represented the interest of small-scale fishers in the northern, western and southern Cape.
Their spokesperson, Ikram “Lamie” Halim, said they had been part of meetings with many of the roleplayers regarding a recovery plan for the WCRL fishery.
“The Hout Bay Fishers Community Trust did not agree with the recovery plan, as the WWF-SA wanted us, the small-scale guys, to bear the brunt of it. Our response is as it was then.
“They (WWF-SA) must tell the department to stop the big guys from catching rock lobster, because they have other fishing sectors they can sustain themselves on,” said Halim.
He said that if the small-scale fishing sector was given a sustainable amount of the WCRL fishery they would not get rich but earn a living, and would protect the species until it recovered.
The department did not respond to the Cape Times’s questions by deadline.