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The prospects for the 2015 KwaZulu-Natal beach seine fishery are looking very promising. The KZN beach seine fishery is a tiny small-scale commercial fishery comprising 24 quota holders. Their 10-year fishing rights are set to expire on 29 February 2016. The Fisheries Department is currently preparing for the re-allocation of fishing rights in this sector, as well as in 9 other commercial and small-scale commercial fisheries. The fishery is completely dependent on the annual sardine run - also known as the "Greatest Shoal on Earth" - and sardine shoals coming sufficiently close to shore to be harvested by the crate load. Quota holders were achieving good prices as at yesterday of R800 / crate. Each crate carries 40kg of sardines.

On 17 April 2015, the Fisheries Department (DAFF) issued a press statement confirming that the Fisheries Minister is set to process all appeals lodged against decisions taken in terms of the 2013 Fishing Rights Allocation Process, except for those appeals lodged in the traditional line fish sector. The line fish appeals cannot be considered in light of a current court order authorising all long term line fish right holders (as at 31 December 2013) to continue to operate until such time as the judicial review application is finally decided. However, with respect to the appeals lodged in the remaining 7 sectors, including Hake Handline, Oysters, Mussels, KZN Prawn Trawl, Demersal Shark, Tuna Pole and Squid, appellants must note the following: 1. The Harris Nupen Molebatsi report confirmed that in so far as the appeals process is concerned, the Department’s refusal to make available all scoresheets and application forms pertaining to all other applicants in the fishery concerned is u...

During March 2015, the Fisheries Department published an "Aquaculture Concept Bill" for public comment. The "concept" bill is really a very rough and incomplete draft set of ideas on fish farming regulation, which should eventually evolve into a white paper, then a draft Bill and perhaps thereafter an Act.  However, the fact that DAFF published such a draft straw document is to be commended! This is how a government department is supposed to conceptualise and prepare complex policy ... by seeking  inputs from the public at the very conceptualisation of policy and ideas. This is what is required when preparing fishing policies and fishing rights allocation processes!  The aquaculture concept bill is clearly a response to Government's latest big plan - Operation Phakisa - which has committed to increasing current farmed fish production levels (±3000 tons annually) to a whopping 90,000 tons within less than two decades. Coupled to this, Operation Phakisa a...

Over the past few days, I have repeatedly been asked for my analysis of and what my understanding of the Draft Small Scale Fisheries Regulations, policy and roll-up plan are. The implementation of the Policy and Regulations is popularly justified as being the panacea for small-scale fishers and fishing villages. In particular, there has been substantial rhetoric about allocating small-scale fishing rights exclusively to co-operatives comprising hundreds and thousands of "fishers". We are told that the intention is to accommodate a whopping 30,000 "fishers"! The reality of course is that what we will achieve is poverty and resource destruction on a coastal scale.   Don't believe me? Well, its awfully simple to understand. Fact. We currently have some 2200 small scale fishers fishing for abalone, line fish, lobster, hake handline, mussels and oysters.  Fact.   The hake handline fishery is an extremely seasonal 3-month long fishery that operates i...

It now emerges that in addition to the much talked about Harris Nupen Molebatsi Report on FRAP 2013, the Fisheries Department commissioned a second report by an unknown legal and forensics firm who styles itself as " Emang Basadi Legal and Forensics (Pty) Ltd ". The Basadi report appears to not only be a report on the Harris Report, but it also seeks to provide some level of analysis with regard to the department's state of readiness with respect to preparing for the allocation of fishing rights in those fisheries where rights are set to expire in 2015 (now extended until 29 February 2016).  Not having ever heard of  Emang Basadi Legal and Forensics (Pty) Ltd  before, a cursory web search does not reveal anything about such a firm, let alone that they have any prior experience or knowledge of fisheries management, quota allocations or are in any way experienced in fisheries administration. Which is bizarre when they are essentially trying to advise DAFF whether it is...

The Sunday Times yesterday published its analysis of the Harris Nupen Molebatsi Report into the 2013 Fishing Rights Allocation Process, which we have long said was an unmitigated failure and denial of due process to thousands of traditional small-scale fishermen and their crew. Although Feike had published our analysis of the Findings and Recommendations Chapter of this report  back in March 2014, the complete report was only made public last week after the Portfolio Committee on Fisheries demanded that DAFF make the full report available. Although DAFF relented by making the 120 page report available, none of the annexes were included. We understand that DAFF will not be allowed to table its budget vote this coming week unless all the annexes are provided to the Portfolio Committee.   The 120-page Report does however detail a travesty of farcical errors, manipulation of outcomes and a litany of abuses of the rule of law. It confirms that the planning for the 2013 rig...

The South African United Fishers' Front (SAUFF) has called for the immediate postponement of the consultation process on the draft small scale fisheries regulations.  The draft regulations were recently promulgated for a 30-day comment period, which considering the extent of the regulations (57 pages), and the profile of the parties that are directly affected, such an abbreviated comment period is grossly unfair and prejudicial to small-scale fishers.  This is the un-edited version of the SAUFF statement issued on 15 March 2015.  Call for the IMMEDIATE SUSPENSION/POSTPONEMENT of DAFF consultation processes in respect of the Proposed Regulations relating to Small-scale Fishing (Gov Notice No.38536 dated 6 March 2015) These proposed regulations are clearly intended to legitimize the small scale fisheries implementation plan.  For stakeholders to participate in any meaningful way it would be imperative that they (those directly affected by these regulat...