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The Minister of Environmental Affairs and Tourism, Mohammed Valli Moosa, today (Thursday, 11 March 2004) launched a publication highlighting the extraordinary transformation that has been achieved in the fishing industry over the past ten years.

Titled "Transformation and the South African Fishing Industry", the publication is the first of a series of three publications.

Speaking at the event held at Cape Town's South Africa Museum, Minister Moosa said the first publication is arguably the most important of the series as it deals with quota-controlled fisheries, including abalone, hake, rock lobster and pelagic fisheries. "These fisheries are South Africa's most valuable commercial fisheries and generate thousands of jobs, often in remote rural areas. Fishing rights for these commercial fisheries are highly sought after and the allocation of rights in these fisheries is extremely contentious," he said.

Minister Moosa said other two publications will be released later this year and will deliberate on the effort-controlled fisheries and the subsistence fisheries respectively.

Illustrating measure of transformation in the industry, the Minister drew on an example of deep-sea hake fishery where in 1992, 21 companies held rights in the deep-sea trawl hake fishery. By 2002, this number had more than doubled to 53 right-holders.

In 1992 the average quota was 3 800 tons compared to 2 700 tons for 2002. However, in 1992 there was a thousand-fold difference between the minimum (50 tons) and the maximum (53 000 tons) quotas awarded, compared to a 135 fold difference in 2002 (336 tons minimum quota and 45 000 tons maximum quota).

"This means that there is more equitable distribution of quota among deep-sea fishing companies in South Africa, a trend that is reflected by the fact that more than 92% of the TAC (Total Allowable Catch) was held by the top five companies ("pioneer companies") in 1992, compared to less than 74% in 2002," Minister Moosa explained.

Allocation records further show that 74% of right-holders in the deep-sea fishery are majority HDI-owned (Historically Disadvantaged Individual) companies. In comparison, it is estimated that in 1992, HDI shareholding in the deep-sea hake fishery amounted to less than 0.5%, Moosa said.

The cross-cutting themes in the publications are an explanation of the principle of sustainable utilisation, specifically as it applies to fisheries management; an analysis of fisheries management in South Africa, including the system of determining catch limits through scientific research; an explanation of the process of allocating commercial fishing rights in South Africa.

This includes a description of the system that was introduced in 2001; a system that has introduced a high degree of transparency and fairness into a process that was, during the apartheid regime at best hit-and-miss and at worst, corrupt and discriminatory, as well an analysis of the growing role of small, medium an micro enterprises (SMMEs) in the South African fishing industry.

Phindile Makwakwa
Spokesperson: Ministry of Environmental Affairs and Tourism
Cell: 082 850 9559
Tel: (012) 310 3401
Tel: (021) 465 7240

Issued by: Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism

11 March 2004

Source: Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism (http://www.environment.gov.za)