Milestone as 15-year rights granted to small-scale fishing community

More than 1,500 people represented by 20 small-scale fishing co-operatives were awarded subsistence and commercial fishing rights at a celebratory event in the Lilian Ngoyi Community Sports Centre in Kwazakhele at the weekend.

The 15-year rights, which give the holders access to a range of species from rock lobster and hake to squid and perlemoen, were issued by environment, forestry and fisheries minister Barbara Creecy on Saturday.

The ceremony was part of a series of events scheduled for rollout under the department’s new strategy that looks to allocate “a share of the economy” to SA coastal communities that have historically and traditionally relied on the sea.

The strategy envisages that 300-odd co-operatives, including 78 in the Eastern Cape, will benefit across the four coastal provinces.

One of the beneficiaries, Deon Spandiel of the Eastern Cape Khoisan Small-Scale Fishing Co-operative, said the allocation would help the northern areas.

“We are so excited. Now we can create jobs in the northern areas to take the youth away from gangsterism,” he said.

“We are going to go to the schools to talk about the possibilities. We will train them in fishing and seamanship.”

Creecy acknowledged that the rights allocation had been a long time coming.

“President Cyril Ramaphosa said that the people of this country must receive a share of the economy.

“You have been waiting for more than 25 years for these rights, but today is the day.

“I have come here to give you, the rightful owners, the right to fish in the sea next to where you live for the next 15 years.”

After cheering and clapping from the hundreds of people packed into the hall, Creecy said the new strategy formulated by the department envisaged that the rights would generate benefits on a multi-tiered basis.

“The allocation is, first, a right to each one of you as an individual so that you can put food on your table for yourself and your families.

“But also these rights are allocated so you can make a livelihood, educate your children and build a house for yourself,” she said.

“Also, these rights go to 20 fishing co-operatives that you are a part of.

“So, today, 1,591 people will get individual and co-operative rights.

“You are the first of 78 co-operatives and 5,335 fishermen and fisherwomen in the Eastern Cape who will benefit in this way.”

The co-operatives had been required to classify as to whether the species they had applied to harvest were for food security or for commercial purpose, Creecy said.

“All species allocated for own use will be accessed by all members for food security, whereas species requested for commercial purposes will be owned and controlled by the co-operative for their business operations.”

She said the new rights gave the beneficiaries access to Eastern Cape rock lobster, line fish, squid, hake caught on hand lines, perlemoen, oysters, white mussels and seaweed.

On perlemoen, she said the department would need their particular co-operation.

 “You are going to help us put the [perlemoen] seeds back in the sea.

“You are going to have to help us ensure that those who do not have rights do not take them out before they are grown — which takes three years.

“It is your resource so you must look after it.”

Harvesting some of the species required a vessel and this aspect would be addressed with a reasonable total allowable catch allocation when the department finalised commercial rights in 2021, Creecy said.

“In the meantime, co-operatives will be able to fish from shore using hook-and-line, on a bag-limit basis, and will further share an effort of 38 vessels.”

She said that over the coming years the department, with the Eastern Cape departments of economic development and small business development, would be helping the co-operatives to grow sustainably.