It’s been a busy time on the fishing front since our last issue. The Minister has finalized the new policy for the transfer of commercial fishing rights. The two broad principles of assessment are whether the transfer will lead to a consolidation of right holders and effort in the sector, and to what degree black ownership of the TAC and TAE will increase. The details are laid out on page 7.

Continued unhappiness from the Abalone divers led to a protest at Kleinmond in the hope of receiving a response to their pleas to re-open the Abalone fishery or to come up with the promised Social Plan to assist those affected by the closure. At the time of going to press, the South African Abalone Industry Association had not had any response from the Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism (DEAT). Our report is on page 8.

But in a very proactive public display of effective policing, MCM has scored not one but two coups recently; the first with the arrest of the Chien Jui No. 102 (turn to page 5), for finning amongst other contraventions, and the subsequent hefty fine levied on the captain of the vessel; and the second with the arrest of two Abalone poachers in Hermanus within days of each other – one of them reportedly the treasurer of the ANC in the Overberg area. The story appears on page 5, and we commend MCM on their efforts in both cases. And further praise must be directed at MCM for the four-nation transboundary fisheries patrol in South African, Tanzanian, Mozambican and Kenyan waters, undertaken by eleven fisheries inspectors on board the Sarah Baartman. (Details on page 14). Altogether, the team arrested six vessels and inspected a total of 41 fishing vessels over a 31-day period during which they steamed more than 7 200 nautical miles.

The saga of the Dar 1 and Dar 2 makes fascinating reading (page 11) and has all the elements of a film script along the lines of Lemony Snickets: A Series of Unfortunate Events, complete with the human error aspect. Let’s hope the dust settles amicably, with all parties coming to an agreement on what is best for the iSimangaliso Wetland Park and that management and Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife are able to forge a new working relationship between them.

Aquaculture is a hive of activity lately with several upcoming symposiums and the recently instituted Skills Development and Training Programme (STP) and Quality and Health Management Programme (QHMP) being outlined on page 16. Pringle Bay was the scene of the first Aquaculture Dialogue in South Africa. This is a World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) initiative to develop standards for responsible aquaculture which minimizes environmental and social impacts associated with certain farming practices. More on page 13.
Where is the CAF? asks Peter Edwards in his regular commentary for Fishing Industry News. According to the Marine Living Resources Act (MLRA), the Minister is legally obliged to establish the Consultative Advisory Forum (CAF) to advise him on the management of marine living resources. He is to ensure that it is broadly representative and multi-disciplinary with its members to be appointed after inviting nominations. But for many years now no CAF has been appointed. Find out more on page 18.

Hopefully there’s something of interest for everyone in this issue of Fishing Industry News. And please remember to write, e-mail or phone if there’s anything you want to draw attention to or comment on. We’ll be happy to hear from you.

Editor

Cover Story

A group of trawlers nestle together at sunset in Hout Bay Harbour. Just recently a Dutch businessman visited Hout Bay on a fact-finding mission. His company markets fish overseas, and he was keen to encourage local fisheries to apply for Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) certification which is a must for overseas consumers who want to know that the seafood they eat comes from a sustainable source. So far, only our hake fishery is certified, but there is a tuna pole fishery in Hout Bay that has already undergone MSC’s pre-assessement, and will shortly go for full certification which will take about twelve months.