South Africa's subsistence fishermen up in arms over permit hikes
By: CORRINNE LOUW, Sunday Times, South Africa, Feb 14 2010

Anglers in South Africa who eke out a living by catching and selling fish
say a proposal by the government to hike angling fees by up to 400% will put them out of business.The Department of Water and Environmental Affairs tabled a proposal to
increase angling fees  in the Government Gazette two weeks ago. According to the proposal, stakeholders are invited to comment on the
following:

   * General fishing permits to increase from R69 to R200 a year;
   * Crayfish licences to increase from R75 to R500 a year; and
   * General bait licences to increase from R85 to R500 a year.

The proposed increases are due to be implemented in May, subject to
objections by stakeholders. Subsistence fishermen have slated the hikes, some saying that their livelihoods are being  threatened and they will have no alternative but to turn to crime to feed their families. "We put food on the table through the money we get from selling the fish. We can't go into Durban Harbour to fish, they have put a bag limit on the amount of fish we can catch, and now they want to increase the price of the permit. We won't be able to make it; we will have to consider turning to crime to  survive. We
have no other jobs, this is our job," said angry Michael Govender of
Chatsworth. Wahab Vajeth said his circumstances were so dire that he had considered turning to crime. "We are already battling, and it's going to be worse if they put up the price
of the permit." Esoop Mohamed, chairman of the Subsistence Fishermen's Forum, described
the proposed hikes as "ridiculous". "Almost all the Indian fishermen have
been fishing since they were children. They know no other life. This price hike will make an already bad situation worse, because they will  not be able to afford it." He said there were about a thousand men in Chatsworth alone who relied on
daily fishing to earn a living of between R1500 and R3000 a month. The Department of Water and Environmental Affairs has defended the hike,
calling it "inflation related". Spokesman Zolile Nqayi said the department's commitment was not only to
the fishing industry  but also to the conservation of marine resources. "Marine resources
are dwindling. The  industry, especially the recreational sector, also has a responsibility
to contribute to the  management of the resource." The co-ordinator of the South Durban Community Environmental Alliance
(SDCEA), Desmond de  Sa, said international fishing boat operators, not local Indian
subsistence fishermen, were  depleting the oceans' resources. Suren Anirudh, a fisherman from Chatsworth, agreed. "Why are they
not looking at the  international trawlers that pull out 20 tons of fish at a time? Even 20000 fishermen cannot pull out a quarter of that. We will definitely not be able to afford this hike." Recreational fishermen have supported subsistence fishermen. Extreme
Sports Angling (ESA) CEO Armando Costa said: "We are not opposed to an increase in
fees, but feel that the increases  we are to be subjected to are ludicrous, particularly for those anglers
and fishermen who rely on the ocean for their livelihood." The Minority Front's Shameen Rajbansi said the families of subsistence
fishermen relied on  fishing for their survival and the fee hike was unfair.

Source: The Times
Url: http://www.timeslive.co.za/sundaytimes/article305151.ece

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