Despite Choppy Waters, SA’s Fishing Sector is on a Stable Course

By Neville Brink, CEO of Oceana Group

World Fisheries Day, which takes place annually on November 21, passes by largely unnoticed by the general public in South Africa.

Yet, the state of our maritime resources and the fishing sector is worthy of attention.

In 2022, fishing contributed R7,9 billion to South Africa’s GDP. the sector contributes R7 billion to the country’s foreign exchange earnings as a net fish exporter. It employs 58,000 people, many living in rural coastal communities where other earning prospects are limited.

Canned and frozen fish, is an affordable, healthy source of protein for many South Africans and canned fish has a long shelf-life. More than four million South Africans consume Lucky Star canned fish every day. According to Ask Afrika’s annual Kasi Star Brands benchmarking survey, Lucky Star tinned fish was the top-performing brand in townships in the 2022/2023 financial year.

All this points to a robust fishing industry being a valuable contributor to the country’s economy and providing food security for many families.

Sustainability

How sustainable is our fish industry? Some would argue not at all and call for fishing bans or swathes of the ocean to be declared marine protected areas.

Yet, South Africa’s offshore marine resource biomass is well regulated and well managed. Most stocks have been stable for the past 50 years. One example is the anchovy population, which is well above what it was in the late 1990s.

That’s not to say that climate change isn’t altering marine dynamics and that we shouldn’t be concerned. But its impact isn’t universally negative. Some fish populations will benefit, and others will not.

This is not to suggest that the authorities or the industry relax their vigilance or that the fishing industry shouldn’t be doing everything reasonably possible to ensure the sustainability of maritime resources. t he future of our business depends on it.

In this regard, one of the ongoing concerns is bycatch, when species other than those being targeted are caught. Several initiatives have been implemented to mitigate this problem. These include trawl exclusion devices that enable predators chasing target species to escape trawl nets. Tori lines are another. These are streamers attached to lines or trawl cables that scare away predating seabirds to prevent them from injury.

On South Africa’s largest trawler, the Desert Diamond, the department of Forestry, Fisheries and Environment (DFFE) has deployed two permanent scientific observers to monitor and record daily catches. As well as recording the size and age of the fish caught, they have the authority to instruct the vessel to move to another area if there is too much bycatch.

In addition, the industry self-regulates. Oceana is one of the founding members of the Responsible Fisheries Alliance (RFA) and has one of the highest participation rates in RFA responsible fisheries practices training that the world wildlife Fund (WWF) conducts. Some 60% of seagoing personnel have undergone the training.

We observe the Southern African Sustainable Seafood initiative’s assessments on seafood for target species. This ‘traffic-light’ rating methodology is credible and overseen by WWF South Africa.

Oceana invests in certification programmes for the products it harvests, produces, and sources, including the Marine Stewardship Council standard – considered the best accreditation that can be achieved for wild catch, and MarinTrust, which certifies fishmeal and fish oil.

In addition, the industry helps ensure compliance, reporting irregularities and suspicious vessels. As a result, there is very little illegal offshore fishing in South African territorial waters.

The real crisis is inshore, where poachers target high-value, relatively easy-to-catch species such as abalone and west Coast rock lobster. Abalone has been virtually wiped out, and the west Coast rock lobster is following a similar trajectory.

Doug Butterworth, Emeritus Professor with the Department of Mathematics and Applied Mathematics at the university of Cape town and an internationally respected fisheries scientist, says South Africa’s primary focus regarding marine protected areas should be ‘space-time closures to reduce the illegal fishing that is wiping out our major inshore resources’.

Regarding the sector’s future in South Africa, aquaculture use is growing internationally to meet the increased demand for seafood. The volume of some farmed fish species now exceeds that of wild-caught.

The reality, nevertheless, is that for high-volume, low-value species, it will be tough for South Africa to compete. Input costs such as labour and power are double those in the East, and a reliable electricity supply is essential. The exception is the high-value domestic abalone species.

Where local industry can compete is in the provision of fishmeal to the global aquaculture sector. Growth will see demand increase and current prices sustained.

Besides the threatened high-value coastal species, the South African fishing industry is in a relatively good place. it is generally well-run and well-managed, and the offshore resources are sustainably harvested and stable.