According to the information available it is observed that the proposed increases in the cost of fishing permits will help the Marine and Coastal Management authority enforce regulations and protect South Africa’s fishing resources.
Environmental affairs spokesman Zolile Nqayi was speaking to an outcry among fishermen and the media last week after the gazetting of proposed new levies on fish caught in South African waters — both for the commercial and recreational sectors — harbour fees and other activities such as shark-cage diving and boat- based whale watching.
He informed that the most controversial proposals include increasing the cost of a recreational fishing permit 567 percent for catching crayfish, to R500 from R75, and 300 percent for spearfishing, to R300 from R75. In the commercial sector, the levy on hake has increased 71 percent to R350 a ton from R205 a ton.
The recreational anglers questioned how the coastal management authority was spending the money raised from such fees and suggested that hikes could be lower if its enforcement was more effective. They said that commercial vessels come in after hours in Hout Bay, offload their catch and do not pay any levies, because there are no fisheries officers who want to work overtime and weigh the catch, so the commercials just walk away scot-free. Where is the justification here?, asked a commentator.
Nqayi explained that the proposed rises for recreational fishing were generally inflation-related and took account of affordability.
