HISTORIC VICTORY FOR SMALL-SCALE FISHERS

HAILED as a historic day for transformation in the fishing industry, poor black African and coloured small-scale fishers along the country’s eastern waters celebrated their first catch of squid yesterday following years of exclusion and alleged stonewalling by the South African Squid Management Industrial Association (Sasmia) through litigation.

Small-scale fishers in Jeffreys Bay, St Francis and Gqeberha gathered at the Gqeberha harbour, saying they had been deprived of the right to catch their own squid for many years.

This despite the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE) allocating 15-year fishing rights, including squid, to the small-scale fisheries sector.

The value of the squid fishery is estimated to be in the region of R500million per annum, DFFE said.

“Before the final decision was made on the implementation of the squid allocation, Sasmia lodged an internal appeal to the minister against the inclusion of squid in the basket of fish to small-scale fishers,” DFFE spokesperson Albe Modise said.

“This resulted in small-scale fishers being unable to fish in the previous squid fishing season.”

In a joint statement, the Eastern Cape Black Fishers Association, Small Scale Fishers Kareedouw Co-op, the Eastern Cape Khoi Fishers and the Coastal Justice Network said transformation in the sector was long overdue.

“The small-scale fishers have been struggling for the right to catch their own squid for many years.

“They were told by DFFE to be prepared to go to sea this time last year, and then this was blocked by Sasmia, the industrial association for commercial squid companies.

“After a year of delays and a very slow process of reviewing the appeal, DFFE finally announced last month that they would be allocating 15% of squid TAC (total allowable catch) to the small-scale sector,” their statement read.

The organisations said they were told last month that Sasmia would be lodging another appeal to stop them.

“This is unbelievable bullying by the commercial sector, who cannot accept the loss of profit that they face if they are finally forced to transform the sector and let the small-scale fishers in,” they said.

DFFE said while Sasmia indicated that they intended to appeal the TAC decision for the 2021/22 fishing season, no appeal has been lodged and the squid season opened yesterday.

Eastern Cape Black Fishers Association chairperson Xola Ngcanga said they were elated.

“It was a historic day as our boats went out. They (Sasmia) have been taking the government to court since 2018 after our allocation, they do not want to share the profits. Finally now it is our time.

“We are over 100 fishers. Imagine how many families can see the fruit of this labour.

“It has been long overdue. This is a very special day,” he said.

But Sasmia has maintained that the allocation was not viable in the long term.

Sasmia chairperson Adrian Smith said: “The reason for the appeal is that a 25% loss of capacity to the existing vessels will make them unviable and jeopardise the jobs of the 3000 people employed in the sector and the estimated 20000 dependants who rely on it.

“The department was meant to do a socio-economic study before making any changes and even the letters granting the rights to the co-ops referred to them only starting to catch squid once the FRAP (fishing rights allocation process) is completed.

“We appealed the inclusion of the squid in the basket of species of the co-ops and that it was apparently going to be a full commercial allocation instead of being part of the basket of species that the co-op members could utilise.

“There was also an opportunity to comment on the split, which we did.

“The decision on that was published (on June 17) and allocated 15% to smallscale immediately and increasing to 25% over time.

“This is simply not viable. The 15% should have been phased in but the industry received a list 30/6 at 5.30pm telling us that we had lost 366 permits (2-5 permits per vessel) and that effectively we would have to retrench those crew who were on their way to the vessels for the season to open on 1/7.”

Smith said the sector was transformed from 0% black ownership in 1994 to over 60% by 2013, when the last commercial rights allocation was done.

“We will appeal the loss of 15% of our crew with immediate effect as it is unconstitutional.”