COSATU Presentation on Small Scale Fishing

Context Triple challenges and apartheid legacy; Increasing unemployment; Small scale fishing communities’ poverty; Allocation corruption; Allocation bias towards big business and outsiders; Depleting stocks; Poaching; and Progressive laws and policies.

Quota Allocation Corruption Proposals An open public audit of all fishing allocations to help address corruption concerns. Deeper public scrutiny and accountability of all quota allocations, e.g. beyond simply advertising allocations in newspapers.

Continued Complete ban on all public representatives, politicians, government officials, business leaders and immediate family members from quota allocations. Senior Fisheries Department and Ministry officials and advisers and their immediate family members cannot have quota allocations or investments.

Continued Detailed and continuous life style audits of senior management officials of the Ministry and Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries. In particular the Fisheries Directorate, to expose any corrupt officials.

Quota Allocation Proposals Oceana vs. small scale fishing allocations. A two tier fishing framework to provide an equal split of all inshore fisheries species between commercial and small scale, with a bias towards small scale fishing communities.

Continued An exception must be made for abalone which should only be allocated to small the small scale fishery sector.

Continued Where shortages exist or reductions are needed to ensure sustainable fishing, then preference for inshore allocations must be given to small scale fishing communities, with off shore allocations then allocated to companies.

Continued Abolish the commercial lobster trap method of capture and only allow hand hauled ring net method of capture.

Continued No allocations can be made to persons who are not from small scale fishing communities or fishing companies, e.g. no allocations to public representatives, government officials, politicians or other persons and companies with no history of fishing.

Further Departmental Interventions Department must allocate increased dedicated budget and staff capacity to provide institutional support to small scale cooperatives. DAFF offices and quota allocation application processes to be made more accessible to small scale fishing communities.

Continued Dedicated support be given to small scale fishing communities and cooperatives to develop aquaculture farms in line with government’s 9 Point Plan. A detailed plan to promote and ensure access for persons with disabilities to fishing be developed and implemented.

Continued A complete ban and its enforcement on all foreign fishing trawlers in all South African waters.

Continued The extension of the involvement of the SANDF in combating poaching by foreign trawlers and South African poachers. An intensified crack down on the involvement of criminal syndicates, gangs and corruption in poaching and allocations with the full involvement of SAPS, SARS, the SANDF and SSA.

Continued An overhaul of complete overhaul of the conservative and anti-developmental stock taking scientists to ensure a correct balance between sustainable fishing, empowering small scale fishing communities and job protection and creation.

Continued A detailed plan to publicise and enforce all labour laws and the recently adopted Merchant Shipping Amendment Act to ensure that all fishing workers enjoy their full labour, health and safety rights.

Conclusion COSATU suggestions; Committee work; Urgency of now; and Thank you.