Fishers seek to overturn quotas

Thousands of people depend on fisheries resources for food

THE SA Small Scale Fisheries Collective has filed an application to be amicus curiae, or friends of the court, in the case involving the protection of West Coast rock lobster.

The collective, a social movement established last year, wants the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries’ (Daff) decision to make the 2017/18 total allowable catch (TAC) to 790 tons set aside.

Brought forward by WWF SA last month, the group argues that the allowance flies in the face of scientific advice, and is at 70% above what would maintain the species.

In 2016 Southern African Sustainable Seafood Initiative (WWF-Sassi) placed the West Coast Rock Lobster (WCRL) on the red list.

“Without being given any reasons for this decision or how it plans to recover the resource, it is difficult to support the department’s decision which will only makes things worse for future years,” WWF said.

The collective said in court papers that its interests were small-scale fishers (SSF), which have been “overlooked” for many years.

They said commercial fishing for the lobster commenced in the 1800s, but the SSFs rights were only acknowledged on a piecemeal basis in 2000.

They said SSFs have only been participating in the WCRL fishing seasons for the past five years, excluding the present.

SSFs have held only 12.35% of the global WCRL TAC and where, save 3.6% to the recreational sector, the balance of access, 84% is held by WCRL commercial sector, they said.

The prior recreational fishing season was from December and closed last April.

The TAC of 69.2 tons was unchanged.

“The specific aims and objectives of South African Small Scale Fisheries Collective, a registered non-profit organisation, is therefore to unify and cohesively advance the fundamental constitutional, human, tenure and customary rights and interests of SSF’s located within coastal fishing communities along the entire South African coastline and to effectively secure, promote and protect permanent access for SSF’s to South Africa’s natural marine resource endowments that is ecologically sustainable, equitable and materially meaningful in socio-economic terms.

Daff previously said the TAC followed a consultative process and a recommendation.

“Thousands of people depend on fisheries resources for food and as a source of income to meet basic needs.

“The importance of maintaining or even increasing the yields from these fisheries by sustainable harvesting and sound management that balances science and socio-economic parameters is of great importance to ensure that South Africa’s fisheries contribute to Daff’s stated goals which include food security and nutrition, job creation and contribution to the GDP.

“The responsibility of the department is to ensure that balance,” they had said.