Bill to grant small-scale fishing rights
Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Minister Tina Joemat-Pettersson has described as "historic" a new amendment Bill which will give small-scale fishers collective fishing rights for the first time, helping to root out poverty and poaching in South Africa's 150 fishing communities.
The Marine Living Resources Amendment Bill, which is expected to come before the National Assembly's portfolio committee on agriculture, forestry and fisheries on Tuesday, 8 October 2013, allows for the allocation of fishing rights to identified small-scale fishing communities, which have previously been excluded from the commercial fishing rights allocation process.
Small-scale fishing policy
The bill intends to bring into force the department's small-scale fishing policy, which supports the setting up of community-based legal entities - in the form of co-operatives - by small-scale fishers to allow fishing communities access to fishing rights.
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