Cape Town - The Department of Environment, Forestry and Fisheries (DEFF) is being urged to urgently intervene amid a spike in abalone and crayfish poaching in various Western Cape coastal communities.
Responding to a parliamentary question from the DA recently, Police Minster Bheki Cele revealed that almost half a million abalone and crayfish have been poached in the Overstrand region.
He said 441 847 abalone, 15 089 crayfish tails and 8 301 whole crayfish have been confiscated during police operations in Gansbaai, Hangklip, Pringle Bay, Hawston, Kleinmond and Hermanus over the past five years.
DA committee member for DEFF, Dave Bryant, said the statistics only scratched the surface of the real numbers of poached abalone and crayfish.
“The DEFF is not doing enough to manage and monitor the poaching of these two species, and the recent DEFF budget has confirmed that there will in fact be a reduction in the number of staff dedicated to anti-poaching programmes along the South Africa’s coastline.
“The DEFF appears to have effectively given up on combating the poaching of abalone and crayfish. The department’s current strategy seems to be to simply allow these species to die off completely, in the hope that this will ameliorate the associated issues relating to smuggling, gangs and drugs,” Bryant said.
DEFF spokesperson Albi Modise, however, said the department together with a broad range of role-players have developed an inclusive and holistic strategic response and action plan for the prevention of trade in illegally harvested abalone.
“The department also deploys regular coastal patrols, sea patrols, inspections on land, inspections at sea and verification of rights’ holders.
“We also join forces with partners and stakeholders to identify, pursue, apprehend and close syndicate-related illegal fishery related operations. Our integrated compliance and enforcement programme of the Natjoints priority committee on marine and ocean crime (Phakisa Initiative 5) has recorded a significant number of operations conducted during the 2021/22 financial year,” he said.
A former illegal fisherman, Angelo Joseph, said illegal fishing was rife all along the coastline of South Africa due to the Marine Living Resource Act, which criminalises poaching.
“Furthermore, the judicial system has made illegal fishing (poaching) a Schedule 6 offence, making it easier for judges to convict you and send you to jail for feeding your families. So it’s the system that creates this current situation,” he said.
“The times are already hard with no work, and the unemployment rate is at an all-time high. Every year the law enforcement agencies have increased their presence but so did the illegal fishing, so clearly the increased law hasn’t worked.
“I would say all stakeholders should have meaningful input in the situation, like engaging the communities and ask how best they can work together to solve this issue once and for all,” Joseph said.
Cape Times