Fisheries officials got an earful from fed-up Lambert’s Bay residents on the unfairness of fishing quotas and the poverty it causes.
|||Cape Town - They came to tell the people of Lambert’s Bay about the new draft fishing policy and ask for their comments.
What they heard was a litany of socio-economic problems that permeate South African society.
One after another people stood up in the big hall in this small West Coast town and told officials from the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries about the lack of money and employment, about the unfairness of the haves getting more and the have-nots getting less, about the desperation of those who had worked all their lives, and when they grew too old to man a boat, were left with almost nothing.
Their comments reflected lives permanently on the edge, where one generation after another is unable to break the poverty cycle.
Thursday’s meeting was the 13th “stakeholder consultative meeting” the department has held at towns around the coast where they talked about their draft revised policy on allocating fishing rights.
Desmond Stevens from the department told the people that certain themes had emerged from these meetings.
“People have the belief that sea fisheries must solve all the socio-economic problems in fishing dorpies.
“That can’t be. One person in Mitchells Plain said: ‘Mr Stevens we don’t want 10 million quotas, we want sports fields and the school painted.’ But we cannot be responsible for that.”
Stevens said 70 percent of the fishing rights would go to small- and medium-scale fishing concerns. When the audience clapped he said; “Don’t praise us, it’s the right thing to do.”
When the people spoke about fishing, they raised problems that have plagued the small sector for decades: people getting “paper quotas”, quotas which they have no intention of fishing but sell immediately; third generation fishermen getting no quotas but lawyers, teachers and policemen, posing as fishermen, being allocated quotas; quotas that are too small to make a living; old people who have fished all their lives losing their quotas because they receive old age pensions, which they say is not enough to support their families.
“Some of these quotas were just sold and people bought TVs,” said Anthony Andrews.
Johann Augustyn from the department told the group if they knew of anyone selling quotas they must submit an affidavit to the police.
Hendel Smit said: “Any South African citizen can apply (for fishing rights). That means someone from Joburg can also apply. You must say only people who stay in coastal areas can apply… And there must be no manipulation, not ‘Oom Gerrit’s application goes through because he knows the minister’.”
Smit queried the idea of rights holders creating jobs for others.
“We are poor so it’s very difficult for us to carry others. We are not Oceana (Group).”
Andries Booysen of Elands Bay said: “Why are some people privileged? A school teacher got a quota, got a double income.”
Then pointing to people in the front he added: “You’re talking to those people there. Why? I don’t see a fisherman there.”
Many women said it was time more women were included in the quotas. “In Doringbaai women were left behind when the factory closed. We women also want rights,” Johanna Claasens said.
Cornelius Schippers, 55, who lost his leg in a car accident, sat holding his crutches and listening, his belt pulled tight over his thin frame.
He has worked in the Oceana factory or on the sea since he was 14. Speaking afterwards he said: “I’m amazed that all these youngsters (klonge) are getting the quotas and now they ride around in bakkies. And I can’t get rights. I can still work. I can row and do the nets. You don’t walk around much on a boat.”
melanie.gosling@inl.co.za
Cape Times