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In response to my suggestion that we should consider a small-scale commercial limpet fishery, Professor George Branch has provided a concise but convincing riposte. Professor Branch advises against such a fishery for the following ecological, economic and practical reasons. First, limpets are keystone species that regulate community composition on rocky shores. Second, if you remove them, their space is speedily occupied by alien mussels. Third, even on the west coast where their abundance is greatest, sustainable yields can only be set at about 7-10 tons, which is hardly an economically viable amount. Fourth, the quality of our limpets is not of the same quality as the South American limpets, which have a delicate, soft flesh. Accordingly, our limpets would command a considerably lower market price. Finally, if we cannot control illegality in our abalone fishery, then the significantly more accessible limpets are doomed if a targeted fishery is opened. Prof Branch does how...

It is the parlance of our time. Ask any politician what he aims to do with the sector he is supposedly presiding over in this country and he will say that he must "transform" it or "accelerate the transformation". Stock standard. One answer fits all. The reality is that it is gobbledegook aimed solely at appeasing the growing masses of people who all want "some more" from the same pot. Pity Mr Bumble today!  The soup pot is nearing empty but the Olivers are demanding much more than the pot can imagine to offer. The problem is that our Mr Bumbles keep promising more soup for years without bothering to go to the market and get more ingredients and re-stock the kitchen. That of course explains (in great part) why our nearshore stocks such as lobster and abalone are being plundered at breathtaking rates. In my upcoming article in Maritime Reporter , I once again make the case that there is little sense in allocating interim relief lobster exemptio...

Yes, we know that one mad scientist once said that the definition of insanity  is doing the same thing over and over again while expecting a different result.  Madness indeed. Not to mention a lack of creativity and the inability to think laterally too! Consider the insane manner in which the SA abalone and lobster industries and the department have been trying to manage the collapse of these two fisheries over the past 8 years at least.  Common to both fisheries is that they are wracked by massive levels of illegality - both illegal and unregulated forms of fishing. And of course both fish stocks are heavily depleted particularly in specific management zones.  Also common to both fisheries is that the respective industries and fisheries managers insist year-in and year-out that the fishery must be managed by cutting catch allocations and wishing that poaching will magically reduce itself by massive percentages which will then result in the recovery of ...

The Minister of Fisheries and the department have conceded the review application that was brought by the South African Commercial Line Fishers Association ("SACLA") in February of this year. On 11 August 2014, the State Attorney wrote to SACLA's attorneys stating that "our client [the Minister and the Department] intend conceding the review subject to successful negotiation with yourselves on certain issues." Despite requests for clarity on what these "certain issues", the State Attorney has not reverted to SACLA's lawyers.  This is even more incredible given that the State Attorney is certainly not in any position to negotiate a settlement given that they have missed all time periods to file a single set of papers explaining their decision; they have refused to discover a plethora of documents and records that were requested months ago and we all know that the Minister's own internal legal review of the process confirmed that the FRA...