South Africa’s “Big Five” fishing firms have come under fire from Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Minister Tina Joemat-Pettersson, who told a closed meeting of fisheries division staff in Cape Town that she would take away their fishing rights when they came up for review next year.
She told staff in the department last week that they should not take notes or record her remarks, but news of her briefing leaked to Feike chief executive Shaheen Moolla, a former adviser to previous ministers.
The “white” fishing companies that controlled the fishing industry — and enjoyed significant fishing quotas — needed to cede these rights to community fishermen, Joemat-Pettersson reportedly said. She promised that the Industrial Development Corporation would be approached to buy fishing vessels to allow the small players to tap into the industry.
Moolla, whose company does marine research, reported the minister’s remarks in a blog. This was sent to the minister’s special adviser, Rams Mabote, who responded: “Officially the minister will not respond to blogs about staff meetings, except to say the issue of quota rights are a legal process that will be handled following normal due process when the time of allocations comes only at the end of 2013.”
