Wheels of fire
eries management to return to setting catch limits based on science. It said its evidence raised “very serious and disturbing questions about the integrity and consistency of decision-making” within the department.
Documents before court reveal a series of blunders and contradictions leading to the department’s decision in November to set a kreef quota of 1 924 tons — more than double the scientists’ recommendation of 790 tons.
That month, the department signed off on an official document for 790 tons and a press release for 1 924 tons. The first document was never publicly released and came to light only after a WWF promotion of access to information application this year. Parts of the document appear to have been redacted.
This week two other global watchdogs joined the fray, warning of possible consequences should the court rule against the department.
The international Marine Stewardship Council said it was monitoring the case in the light of South Africa’s hake MSC certification — a vital stamp of approval needed to export the country’s main commercial fish into the European market and sustain the fishery’s 5 000 jobs.
MSC audit team leader Jim Andrews said:
Short-sighted fisheries management will lead to destruction Morné du Plessis
WWF South Africa CEO
“We will be paying attention to the progress of this [legal] process, and when the outcome has been determined we shall review whether or not it has any implications for the ongoing MSC certification of the South African hake fishery.”
Ray Hilborn, a US-based leader in fisheries science who created a country ranking system based on fisheries management — South Africa is ranked sixth — said the WWF’s legal action suggested the department’s conduct “subverts the major elements of sustainable management and puts the long-term productivity of the resource at risk. Such actions would certainly cause the ranking of South Africa to drop appreciably in our survey.”
WWF South Africa CEO Morné du Plessis said the court challenge was a last resort.
“History has shown that short-sighted fisheries management will only lead to destruction of both the resources and the communities that depend on them,” he said.
Neither Zokwana’s office nor the department responded to queries. Ndudane referred queries to acting deputy director-general Belemane Semoli, who could not be reached.
In a statement earlier this year, Ndudane said her kreef decision took several factors into account — not just science. “My consultations with individual small-scale fishers, fishing companies and representatives of the fishing communities . . . confirmed that a substantial cut to the total allowable catch (by 59%) would result in significant job losses, laying up of approximately 50% of the fishing fleet, and social harm,” she said.
In an affidavit, the WWF’s former marine programme manager John Duncan said Ndudane’s response “reflects the wrong perception that sustainability and socioeconomic considerations are competing considerations that require balancing”.