Minister must urgently address fishing licence issue
In a statement on Allafrica.com, DA deputy spokesperson on agriculture, forestry and fisheries Deetlefs du Toit says that minister of agriculture, forestry and fisheries, Tina Joemat-Pettersson, must urgently appear before Parliament to account for the fact that her department "has made no apparent attempt to commence with the process of renewing fishing licences, despite [the fact that] the renewal date for fishing quota allocations [is] less than a year away."
The South African commercial fisheries industry is worth an approximate R5 billion annually, du Toit says, adding that fisheries contribute extensively to the livelihood of many South African families by creating over 140 000 primary and secondary jobs. "There are more than 1 000 fishing rights holders in 8 commercial fisheries that are reportedly affected by the Department's stalling and absence of communication on the renewal of fishing licences," he warns.
A proper quota allocation process takes time, du Toit's Allafrica.com statement reads. It should involve consultations with all stakeholders well before the current fishing rights expire. "Adhering to a proper fishing rights allocation process creates certainty and stability", he says; noting that, given the difficulties of fishing, "certainty and stability constitute a critical draw card for investment in the sector. [... P]eople's livelihoods and [...] the sustainability of our rich marine heritage [...] should not be allowed to be jeopardised by inefficiencies in Minister Joemat-Pettersson's Department," du Toit concludes.
Read the full article on http://allafrica.com.
