Fixing Fisheries Compliance

A key concern plaguing fisheries management in South Africa (besides the ever-problematic growth in demand and call for more quotas vs the depressing contraction of available quotas: see our last piece which touches on this subject), is the ongoing inability by fisheries compliance officials to make any significant impact in reducing illegal fishing - whether it is hake, pilchards, abalone, lobsters or line fishes. 

I dont believe that this wheel needs re-invention. What is needed is a single-mindedness to cut out corruption by departmental staff, fishery control officers and the local "fisheries monitors" and to urgently implement some basic forms of smart monitoring, management and reporting technologies. Oh, and bring back those impressively efficient and effective Green Courts to prosecute, jail and asset strip poachers.  

1. All marketers of fish (whether they export or sell domestically) must be required to register under the MLRA as the marketing of fish is a “related activity” as defined by law. In this way, every marketer must report their first purchase and first sale. 

2. All fishery control officers, harbour masters and fisheries monitors must be subjected to comprehensive lifestyle audits to eliminate all forms of corruption and maladministration in the landing and documentation of fish. 

3. The reporting of catch landings and submission of logbooks to be done via electronic submission to secure receipting servers (and not to individual officials who could manipulate data and documents). Small-scale fishers should be required to report using the Abalobi application, which is simple and has been successfully trialled by fishers. 

4. All Vessels of 12m and longer should be required to install Electronic Monitoring and Surveillance systems (closed system on board video & surveillance recording) which will assist with the monitoring of catches, landings, dumping, transhipment of fish (offshore trap-based lobster vessels are known to unlawfully tranship catches to small-scale lobster boats to facilitate catches). Importantly, this will reduce the pressures on patrol vessel deployments and costs and allow for more targeted EPV deployments and fishing vessel boardings.   

5. Green Courts (Regional Magistrates Courts) need to be re-opened. In our view, at least one regional court will be needed in Hermanus for the Overberg region, one in Cape Town and one in Port Elizabeth. 

Finally, the Department needs to urgently review all of its current levies on fish and fish products and harbour fees as these were last reviewed in September 2010.