South Africa’s Department of Forestry, Fisheries and Environment has concluded the delayed 2021-2022 Fishing Rights Allocation Process (FRAP) for nine of the 12 commercial fishing sectors that were due for reallocation.
South Africa delayed its deadline for the allocation process after the new online application procedure posed problems for some of the applicants.
A total of 2,473 applications were received for South Africa's fisheries, which include Hake Deep-Sea Trawl, Hake Longline, South Coast Rock Lobster, Small Pelagic (Sardine and Anchovy), Kwa-Zulu Natal Crustacean Trawl, Demersal Shark Longline, Squid, Tuna Pole-Line, and Traditional Linefish.
Some of the criteria the department used in determining the outcome of the FRAP include evaluations of the personal information of the applicants, including their current and previous involvement in the fishing sector, investment in the fishing sector, performance and compliance history, and their contribution to the fishery.
With the release, the department said it has provided details on how the scores were calculated for every fishing sector, how the methodology for those decisions was developed, and the final decision list on the results for each applicant. The department said it will send the grant of right letters and scoresheets electronically to all applicants by 29 March, 2022, in case any want to lodge an appeal on the FRAP results, which must be done by the end of April 2022.
The department said it granted exemptions to existing operators in the fishing sectors that were due for reallocation, while those currently fishing under this exemption arrangement were asked to cease operations by 3 March and return to port – where their catch will be weighed and landed in accordance with provisions in their fishing permits.
The successful 2021 FRAP rights-holders are required to apply for new catch permits and ensure all fees are paid in full 60 days from the date of receipt of their fishing rights, the department said.
Atlantic Seafood Products Founder Luis Figueiredo told SeafoodSource the company had “placed a lot of hope on the upcoming allocation process.”
Atlantic Seafood Products is the third-largest fresh and frozen fish processing and packing factory in South Africa. Figueriedo said with the company’s factory relying heavily on imported seafood products and processing, sufficient fishing quotas under FRAP would ensure adequate servicing of the company’s existing markets.
Sea Harvest, which has published its reviewed financial results for the period ending 31 December 2021, said the FRAP outcome “will remain the focus for 2022.”
Sea Harvest Group CEO Felix Ratheb said on 1 March that Sea Harvest’s outlook for 2022 “is highly reliant on the FRAP 2021 outcome in pursuit of its ambition of being a leading, diversified, responsible, black-owned global fishing and foods business.”
Photo courtesy of Brand South Africa
