Large commercial fishing companies should not feel threatened by soon-to-be-created fishing co-operatives, incorporating 30,000 small-scale fishers, a parliamentary committee was told on Tuesday.
This followed the release last week of the draft regulations on fisheries by the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries. The department briefed Parliament’s agriculture forestry and fisheries committee on Tuesday.
The granting of fishing rights has long been controversial, with claims that the allocation of licences has been manipulated by the department and that the creation of small-scale fishing co-operatives would threaten already dwindling inshore fish stocks.
Democratic Alliance (DA) MP Zelda Jongbloed asked the department if, in order to achieve equitable access to fishing resources, the rights held by large companies were to be included in the mix.
The acting deputy director-general for fisheries management, Siphokazi Ndudane, replied that at present 22 commercial fisheries were administered by the department and that of these only four operated in areas that could be of interest to small-scale fishers.
This left 18 commercial enterprises that would not face competition from small-scale fishers “because the bigger companies fish further out to sea and this (is) very expensive, requiring much large boats with more crew, placing them out of reach of small-scale fishers”.
Ms Ndudane said that after a further 30 days allocated for public comment and extensive consultation with coastal communities, the department was looking to promulgate the Marine Living Resources Amendment Act and the final regulations by the end of next month after sign-off by the minister, Senzeni Zokwana.
African National Congress MP Mandla Mandela and DA MP Annette Steyn wanted to know who would decide “who is a fisher”.
Ms Steyn said: “I can see a fight coming”, adding that many would compete for places on the co-operatives.
Ms Ndudane said an independent assessor would assist in the identification and verification of small-scale fishers and then the department would ratify them as members of the co-operatives.
Mr Zokwana would determine the number of co-operatives to be created.
Ms Ndudane said only verified small-scale fishers would be allowed to be part of a co-operative and members of co-operatives were prohibited from becoming owners of a commercial fishing right.
She said local, regional and a national small-scale committees would also be established to share the responsibility of fishing resources. Small-scale fishers, government officials and representatives of other interested parties would serve on the committees.
Vesting the ownership of fish in coastal communities would reduce the high levels of poaching.
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