Anglers decry late response to trawler sightings

TOO little is being done to combat illegal fishing trawlers, according to local fishermen and the South Durban Community Environmental Alliance (SDCEA).

“The minister of forestry and fisheries failed the coastal fishing communities by acting on Chinese fishing trawlers fishing illegally two weeks later. After reportedly being sighted all along the South Coast, fishing illegally within the South African maritime borders, fishermen brought this to the attention of the fisheries department,” said SDCEA.

The organisation and South Durban fishermen believe the government has acted too little too late to tackle this problem, which has been hampering shoals along the coast for years.

Illegal foreign and SA fishing trawlers have become a problem in recent years, causing damage to local oceanic ecosystems. On Thursday, 12 May, the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (DAFF) counted nine vessels suspected to be fishing illegally on South African waters in the Durban, Port Saint Johns and Cape Recife areas.

They were escorted by patrol vessel, Victoria Mxenge, to Saldanha for inspection. During the night, the vessels fled in different directions and only one was successfully captured and boarded.

According to SDCEA, local fishermen have seen a marked decline in sardines and other species of fish, which they attribute to illegal overfishing.

“The foreign trawlers that have fished on the coastline have for years, using gilled nets and robust fishing equipment, raped the ocean for these species of fish and deprived the local population who pay for licenses and permits.

The department has been aware of this for a number of years and should have been prepared by having security fishing boats guarding our coastline.

Ironically, South Africa has the most sophisticated submarines and patrol vessels; the question is why is this equipment not being utilised to serve its purpose to protect its people, marine species and the country’s coastline?”

We cannot tolerate the plundering of our marine resources

They call on the department to show what they plan to do to prevent further illegal fishing. Heightened emotions led to social media posts pointing out unknown vessels as potential illegal foreign fishing trawlers, which were later shown to be involved in other legal maritime pursuits.

On Monday, 23 May the DAFF and the SA navy captured three foreign vessels and escorted them into port in East London. About 600 tons of squid along with other species of fish and gear were found on the vessels, which did not have permits.

According to the DAFF, possible charges facing the owners of the vessels are possession of gear on board without a gear permit; not complying with the lawful instruction from the fishery control officer and infringements of international conservation and management measures inside or outside South African waters.

“The capturing of these vessels indicates our seriousness as a country to protect our territorial and exclusive economic zone. We cannot tolerate the plundering of our marine resources, which are a source of food security and play a huge role in realising our goals in Operation Phakisa. We are also looking into the sudden influx of these vessels in our waters,” said DAFF minister, Senzeni Zokwana.

“Fishermen are calling for the Chinese fishing trawlers to be sold off to defray expenses as well as set the example – that no illegal fishing will be allowed on our coastline,” said SDCEA.

Contact the DAFF’s vessel monitoring operations room on 021-402-3077/6 if you see any suspicious vessels at sea.

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