Subsistence fisheries along the west coast have largely been replaced with limited (or small scale) commercial fisheries. These have been in the high value fisheries of abalone and west coast rock lobster. Marine and Coastal Management had in the late 1990’s commissioned an enquiry into the future of subsistence fisheries, which concluded that it was not sustainable to maintain subsistence fisheries in high value fisheries, which are not subsisted on. As subsistence fishers are not ordinarily allowed to sell their fish, many subsistence fishers sell illegally as they do not subsist off abalone or lobster.

In 2001 hundreds of fishers who traditionally eked out an illegal living from selling fish caught on a subsistence permit, were allocated limited lobster and abalone fishing rights. On average, limited commercial lobster fishing rights allocated gave the right holder an annual income of R50 000; whereas prior to that the subsistence fisher barely made R10 000 per annum.