Small-scale fishers (SSF) in the Western Cape have been dealt a heavy blow following the Department of Forestry, Fisheries, and the Environment (DFFE) decision to slash the West Coast Rock Lobster Total Allowable Catch (WCRL TAC) by almost 17%.

DFFE earlier this month announced the TAC for the 2023/2024 fishing season had been reduced by 16.43% from the previous fishing season.

With this, the near shore allocation decreased from 93.9 tons to 78.54 tons, while the offshore allocation saw a decline from 69.1 tons to 57.79 tons.

According to DFFE, the decision was guided by the principles of the Marine Living Resources Act which included best available science and information, a precautionary approach and “the need to recognise approaches to fisheries management which contribute to food security, socio-economic development and the alleviation of poverty”.

“The Deputy Director-General: Fisheries Management has used the best available science and information in resource assessment and the precautionary principle has been observed.

The harvesting of WCRL at levels which do not facilitate growth of the resource constitutes a threat of serious and irreversible environmental damage. The updated assessment has established that the status of the resource is now 14%–25% and the reduction in TAC is therefore unavoidable,” said DFFE.

Masifundise and Coastal Links, prominent advocates for small-scale fishers, voiced their concerns regarding DFFE’s management approach for WCRL.

“The SSF sector in the Western Cape and Northern Cape heavily relies on WCRL as a high-value species, constituting a significant portion of their annual income. These TAC cuts directly reduce the annual income of SSF, making it harder for them to meet their basic needs.

“The DFFE’s management approach for WCRL, which focuses on consistently reducing allocation to protect the resource, lacks evidence of its effectiveness. In the scientific approach in assessing available stocks, indigenous knowledge of small-scale fishers is disregarded and the overall management approach hinders their socio-economic development and prioritises a purely technical and western-centric understanding to the fishery.

“For small-scale fishers, their connection to WCRL extends beyond livelihood, encompassing cultural, traditional, and historical ties to their ancestors’ way of life. In the way DFFE is regulating the sector, we are witnessing a progressive disappearance of this activity not only on an economic level, but also an integral part of the social and cultural heritage of small-scale fishing communities.

This leads to further criminalisation of fishers who are trying to put food on the table and support their families, as no alternative solutions are provided that look at reducing profit-making of large companies who also harvest WCRL,” the organisations said.

They called on DFFE to address their concerns and to implement co-management in the Northern and Western Cape in the small-scale sector to develop a more inclusive and participatory approach to fisheries management of the WCRL resource.

Arniston small-scale fisher Rovina Eurpoa said the impact of the cut in WCRL TAC was immense for their livelihoods.

“I’ve been fishing for over 23 years, it’s become so frustrating. The government is supposed to be for the people but they are removing people’s income.

It’s very difficult for a fisherman to make a living out of the little the department gives plus you still have expenses. A boat must be hired, then you must pay a catching fee, a crew must be paid, transport. Cutting on crayfish is a great loss of income for us.

“Fishing is in your blood, from generation to generation. From the age of 3 you are taught to survive from seafood out the water.

“Now imagine there are three to four children in a household, your husband is a fisherman, wife is a domestic worker.

It’s not fair how the government is going about this, a fisherman makes his life from the sea.”

Cape Times

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