NEW FISHING SEASON STARTS AS DEPARTMENT PREPARES NEW SYSTEM FOR ALLOCATING FISHING RIGHTS

13 December 2000 All permits for the new 2000 fishing season have been issued following the signing of the amendment to the Marine Living Resources Act, which allows for a maximum two-year extension of current fishing rights in order to facilitate the restructuring of the system of allocating fishing rights.

Department of Environmental and Tourism Deputy Director General of Marine and Coastal Management Horst Kleinschmidt said that the permits for West Coast Rock Lobster, Abalone, Mariculture and Oysters (KZN) have been issued for one year for the 2000 fishing season in accordance with the extension.

"We are now finalizing the TAC (total allowable catch) and TAE (total allowable effort) for the Minister's signature for the 2001 season for the 12 other species that we allocate. With the extension we hope that we will be able to get the fishing boats out early this year so that the industry can get on with its work," he said.

Kleinschmidt said that the extension of fishing rights for the 2000/2001 season was key to restructuring the allocation of fishing rights to bring stability to the industry and he thanked the industry for their support of the Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism's plan to restructure the industry to meet the urgent need for stability, certainty and transparency in the fishing industry.

He said two key elements of the DEAT plan were currently being established:

A dedicated rights allocations unit (composed of includes project managers, economists and lawyers) who will focus solely on managing and monitoring the allocation process to ensure that quotas are issued effectively and fairly.
Linked to it is a verifications unit to root out malpractices in the sector, and in particular the allocation of 'paper quotas' to people who have no inclination of fishing. The unit will verify and establish that the applicant's information accurately reflects the applicant's profile, shareholding and other interests in the fishing industry as well as evaluating job creation and transformation initiatives. There will be penalties for submitting false information.

Kleinschmidt said that tender for applications to establish a dedicated rights allocation unit and a verification unit had been issued in order to attract specialised expertise in the highly contested quota allocation process. The closing date for applications is 15 December 2000 and the rights allocation and verification units are expected to be in operation in the first quarter of next year. The Minister of Environmental Affairs and Tourism Mohammed Valli Moosa got government support for this plan in August this year as part of a broader plan to "stabilise, transform and develop the fishing industry to its full potential".

This industry, with more than an estimated R2.5 billion in annual revenue, is currently complicated and conflict-ridden, and has been exacerbated by past economic and social imbalances in South Africa. Furthermore interest in the fishing industry had increased multifold in recent years. While 500 applications were received before 1998, today more than 11,OOO applicants apply for fishing rights annually placing an unbearable pressure on both the resources of the department and that of the marine environment.

Moosa added that so called "paper" and "cardboard" quota holders will be systematically weeded out of the system in order that "we can give greater opportunities to genuine fisherfolk and especially coastal communities whose livelihood historically depends on these resources for survival and poverty alleviation.

While the rights allocation and verification units will go a long way to rectifying the imbalances created by an unjust system, further measures, including tax compliancy and significant increases of "fisheries compliance officers" will also be introduced in the new year.

Moosa also announced the implementation of a long-awaited industry study which will provide the Department with realistic options on the various structures and entities within the industry, the extent of cross shareholdings and transformation as well as strategies for SMMEs (Small Micro and Medium Enterprises). The study is expected to present its findings by the end of April, 2001 to coincide with the issuing of long-term rights slated for July.

"Our strategy is simple", he said, "Stability, transformation and growth - for poverty alleviation, job creation and a better life for our people".

The full policy document (Draft Discussion Document for the Fisheries Management Plan to Improve the Process of Allocating Fishing Rights) and the Business Plan for Subsistence Fisheries Management is on our website www.environment.gov.za

For more information: Al Karaki (021) 402 3204 or 402 3096

Issued by the Ministry of Environmental Affairs and Tourism
For more information please contact:
The Media Liaison Director:
Onkgopotse JJ Tabane
Media Liaison Director
Ministry of Environmental Affairs and Tourism
082 465 6166 / 012 310 3611
tabane@iafrica.com