ALLOCATION OF RIGHTS
Government to sniff out fronting in fishing sector
A forensic investigation is on the cards to track down companies using fishermen to secure lucrative fishing rights
The government is clamping down on fronting in the fishing sector amid concern that established companies engage in the practice by using fishermen to secure lucrative fishing rights. Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Minister Senzeni Zokwana said his department would soon institute a forensic investigation to prevent fishermen from being used as fronts for companies applying for fishing quota allocations. The government is concerned the sector, which has annual sales of more than of R5bn, remains untransformed and dominated by few players. The South African Deep-Sea Trawling Industry Association, which represents established operators, has previously dismissed allegations that the industry is untransformed and has said fragmentation and the allocation of rights to more companies are bad for the sector. In 2016, President Jacob Zuma signed into law the Marine Living Resources Amendment Act, which recognises small-scale fishermen who had previously been marginalised in the allocati...
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