Minister van Schalkwyk announced today that the Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism is extending the public comment period for two key policy documents that affect subsistence fishing communities such as Paternoster, which has recently been in the public eye. The Minister said, “The draft policies for the Allocation and Management of Medium-term Subsistence Fishing Rights and Small-scale Commercial Fishing Rights were gazetted on 17 November 2006 for public comment. The original deadline for comments was 18 December 2006. However, we acknowledge the need for more extensive deliberations on these important issues and have now extended the deadline to 12 March 2007 to allow for this.”
The two draft policies provide guidelines for the allocation and management of medium-term rights for both subsistence and small-scale commercial fisheries. The policy objectives are to grant four (4)-year medium-term rights to persons who can demonstrate their historic and cultural dependency on marine living resources, ensure orderly and sustainable development of fisheries and environmental sustainability.
The Minister stressed, “These draft policies are intended to ensure that our rights allocations framework provides a fair share to our very poorest communities - specifically those coastal fishing communities who depend on the sea for their own food needs and the most basic of incomes. We urge the interested parties - especially community-based organisations - to provide as much input as possible so that we can proceed from a stronger and wider knowledge base.
“In addition to the draft policies, we have undertaken a number of measures to improve the livelihoods of coastal communities. Earlier this year, we virtually doubled the total number of allocations of West Coast Rock Lobster (WCRL) near shore from 418 to 812. These rights will be valid for a period of 10 years. I made these interventions on appeal because I sympathize with fishing communities who have relied on the sea for generations. However, the depletion and migration of stocks is a reality and government has a responsibility to find a proper balance.
“The area where WCRL rights are allocated stretches from Port Nolloth to Gansbaai. Approximately 70% of WCRL catches 30 years ago occurred higher up on the West Coast from Port Nolloth to the Saldanha area - whilst 90% is now caught between Dassen Island and the Cape Peninsula. Research conducted by marine scientists, confirms this shift in the distribution of marine resources. This has already resulted in a decline of fish landings in the West Coast areas and has resulted in the introduction of a small-scale commercial fishery sector in the area East of Cape Hangklip, which further confirms the shift in distribution of the resource. In addition the total allowable catch (TAC) for WCRL was reduced by 10%.”
Minister van Schalkwyk concluded, “It would be irresponsible for us to allow the total depletion of the resource for short-term political gain. Government has the responsibility to ensure the environmental sustainability of our fish resources and to manage our marine resources for the benefit of future generations.”
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