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On 25 August 2013, the fisheries department threw a complete hissy fit and tantrum about the WWF-SASSI decision to downgrade lobster from its green listing to its orange listing. This essentially means that SASSI no longer considers lobster a sustainable and well-managed fishery and that consumers should "think twice" about ordering South Africa's famed west coast rock lobster.  There are just so many problems with this latest DAFF tantrum that its hard to list them all! First of all, the tantrum is so late! WWF-SASSI announced its decision to downgrade lobster back in May. Yes, 4 months ago! Feike carried the story noting the devastating impact this would have on small-scale fishermen in particular given that they rely on local sales of lobsters more than large operators who have the means to export most of their product to Hong Kong and China (where sustainability and responsible resource management are of zero concern).  Did DAFF only read the WWF statement n...

Cooperatives cant be allocated a fishing right. Any cooperative that applies for a fishing right in September this year will not be eligible to lawfully hold a fishing right. The department's insistence that a cooperative can be granted a fishing right without an amendment to the MLRA is either just plain stupidity or appalling dishonesty.  But the Department of Fisheries continues to lie to vulnerable fishing communities by encouraging them to spend substantial funds, time and energy in creating co-operatives knowing full-well that fishing rights may not be granted to these entities under the MLRA. There are many unscrupulous "consultants" and accountants happily feeding off desperate fishing communities urgently seeking to establish co-operatives.   There cannot be a greater abuse of power and just plain dishonesty than for a government department aided and abetted by an equally dishonest fisheries minister to lead fishing communities down this garden path.  ...

The hapless and confused ANC-led Fisheries Portfolio Committee further embarrassed itself yesterday when it called for an investigation into Smit Amandla Marine's (SAM) management of the research and patrol vessels.  The call is embarrassing because the committee has failed to do anything remotely constructive or to justify their grossly inflated salaries over the past 18 months since these vessels were handed to the Department of Fisheries by SAM. Instead, they have been happy to hear one fairytale after another about the state of readiness of the one or other vessel. The vessels appear to always be 80% ready!  Lulu Johnson, the chairperson of the committee now alleges that the vessels are in serious disrepair! No. The man is truly insightful! The only problem for Lulu is that the disrepair has nothing to do with SAM but everything to do with the Navy and DAFF ... and his failure to act like a responsible parliamentarian and hold these departments accountable for the...

Over the past 18 months or so, the Minister and her department of fisheries have addressed the Portfolio Committee on Fisheries and the media on the status of the research and patrol vessels and various other crises affecting the department, including its farcical rights allocation process, a number of times. During all of these addresses, they spewed forth timeframes, timetables and commitments with none having been met or adhered to. It is one thing to be so grossly incompetent that one cannot comprehend the nature of the commitment being made or promise being promised; it is another thing to lie and then lie again and again to cover up the lie.  The Department of Fisheries, led by the repeated number of incompetent and unprofessional and equally dishonest acting DDG's over the past 18 months or so, has been guilty of both - gross incompetence and dishonesty.  Feike has repeatedly pointed out case after case where the Fisheries Department and its Minister are ju...

Today (16 August) is the last day for prospective applicants for long term - although the duration of these rights remains a mystery - fishing rights to collect application forms.  This BLOG has repeatedly set out why the various processes leading up to this farcical rights allocation process are unlawful. It is worth summarising these, particularly given the fact that the acting DDG of Fisheries, Desmond Stevens, continued to insist in Parliament on 15 August 2013 that the present rights allocation process can continue despite the absence of a number of the required amendments to the Marine Living Resources Act.  The amendment Bill, we were told by the fisheries minister on 12 August 2013, was adopted by Cabinet. But Stevens then confirmed when questioned by the DA's Pieter van Dalen on 15 August, that the amendment Bill was not  approved by Cabinet as the Minister had alleged in a press briefing on 12 August 2013. Lies and more lies. It is impossible to know wh...

On 12 August 2013, the Minister of Fisheries, Tina Joemat-Pettersson addressed the media and the South African public on key Cabinet decisions that were taken the previous Wednesday during the monthly Cabinet meeting.  With respect to the Draft Marine Living Resources Amendment Bill, 2013, the minister stated the following which is a direct quote from the official briefing statement that is attached to the official Cabinet Statement -  "The Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, Ms Tina Joemat-Pettersson made three key announcements at the Post-Cabinet media briefing in Pretoria. Addressing journalists, the Minister explained key Cabinet announcements pertaining to the approval of the passing of the Marine Living Resources Bill, 2013 . The Bill will make it possible for small-scale fishers to obtain fishing rights and regain their livelihoods." There is no doubt that the Minister stated clearly that Cabinet had approved the "Marine Living Resource...

On 7 August 2013, Cabinet Ministers met for their monthly meeting and again no mention is made of them having considered - let alone - approved any of the fisheries policies. As previously stated, in terms of the Constitution, Cabinet MUST develop and implement national policy, including the fisheries policies.  These current rights allocation process and related processes are thus all tainted with unlawfulness and will all certainly be set aside once reviewed. And litigation is a dead certainty as history has shown.  However, returning to the Cabinet meeting of 7 August 2013, the following notable decisions were taken -  1. Cabinet approved accession in terms of section 231 of the Constitution of the IOTC Agreement, the CCSBT Agreement and importantly the UN Port State Measures Agreement of 2009. These are indeed  welcomed albeit long-overdue developments. Although it is uncertain what is to be acceded to when it comes to IOTC and CCSBT as these are not...

The grounding of the Kiani Satu before the Womens Day long weekend along the majestic but remote Goukamma coastline puts into perspective again South Africa's failure to manage its fleet of patrol of vessels.      The grounded Kiani Satu is vaguely visible toward the top of this picture showing the pristine    beach at Buffels in the Goukamma Marine Protected Area near Knysna. [Pic: Shaheen Moolla, 9 August] The potential ecological damage of not having had patrol vessels looking after our fish stocks for the past 18 months (and counting) is hard to convey to the general South African public. The fact that there are oil soaked comorants now needing rescue and the potential of a pristine marine protected area being soaked with 330 tons of heavy fuel oil should hopefully bring the message home clearly that the South African government, and particularly its fisheries minister is directly responsible for this looming ecological catastrophe.  The ...