Fishing sector afloat despite its problems

AGRICULTURE‚ Forestry and Fisheries Minister Tina JoematPettersson and fishing industry chief executives have insisted there is no crisis in the sector despite almost no fishery protection patrols being performed over the past year‚ a disruption of economically important fishing surveys and confusion around the issuing of fishing quotas.

Joemat-Pettersson met the heads of some of the country’s largest fishing companies on Wednesday.

It was the first such meeting the minister had held with the industry since taking office in 2009.

At a press briefing ‚ Joemat-Pettersson made a commitment that the fishing patrol and research vessels in the SA Navy’s custody would be made operational as soon as possible.

The ships were placed in the hands of the navy last year after the Department of Agriculture‚ Forestry and Fisheries failed to finalise a controversial tender that resulted in the vessels being taken away from specialist maritime crewing company Smit Amandla Marine.

The department told parliament in February the navy had failed to keep the ships in seaworthy condition and urgent steps were needed to return them to operating capacity.

Fisheries branch deputy director-general Greta ApelgrenNarkedien said the first of this year’s scheduled pelagic surveys would happen in mid-May. — BDlive