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Can South Africa's famed West Coast Rock Lobster and abalone fisheries be saved from economic collapse caused by rampant illegal fishing? Quite simply, there is no option but to ensure their recovery and pull-back from complete decimation.  The nagging question is how this pull-back can be achieved. With regard to lobster, there is a growing tension between environmental lobby groups such as WWF and the Fisheries Department since the Department elected to maintain the lobster TAC at 2016 levels as opposed to reducing the TAC by 34% in terms of a scientifically proposed recovery plan. The Department's fishery managers and ultimately the Deputy Director-General elected to adopt an alternative management strategy that is premised on the understanding that it makes little sense to punish law-abiding quota holders by reducing their TAC's while poachers continue fishing.  Abalone is the obvious case in point. The legal catch limit has been reduced to 95 tons while poache...

Deadlines for the filing of appeals against decisions taken during the FRAP 2016 process are as follows: 1. Patagonian Toothfish: 16h00 on 15 February 2017 2. Fish Processing Establishments: 28 February 2017 3. Hake Inshore Trawl & Sole: 16h00 on 17 March 2017 4. Horse Mackerel: 16h00 on 17 March 2017 5. KZN Beach Seine: 16h00 on 21 April 2017 6. Seaweed: 16h00 on 21 April 2017 7. Large Pelagics: 16h00 on 21 April 2017 8. Net fishery: Appeals are closed. Applications in the West Coast Rock Lobster and abalone fishery sectors are being evaluated and decisions are anticipated before the start of the 2017/2018 abalone fishery season.

On 3 January 2017, Viking Inshore Fishing (Pty) Ltd (Viking) secured an urgent interim interdict against, amongst others, the Minister of Fisheries and the Deputy Director-General of the Fisheries Management Branch. My next article on Maritime Review Africa will provide a relatively detailed analysis of the prospects of this matter going forward. Suffice it to say, I do not believe that Viking will succeed in obtaining the relief it seeks, which is essentially to -  force the minister to grant it and 15 other "historic right holders" an exemption to continue fishing until the Minister decides the appeals; and obtain a declaratory order allowing these historic right holders to continue fishing whilst the appeals are being decided.  However, on 6 February 2017 the Western Cape High Court decided to postpone the matter until 18 April 2017 for a full bench of the court to hear the matter over 3 days (18-20 April 2017). Incidentally, representatives of the SA Deep Sea Tra...