NEVILLE BRINK: Fishing sector on a stable course despite some choppy seas

Admittedly, most people don’t have World Fisheries Day ringed in their calendar. Outside the industry the late November observation largely passes unnoticed, and perhaps more so this year given creeping inflation, a straitened economy, political uncertainty and rolling blackouts.

While it’s not making headlines, I’d suggest the state of maritime resources and the sector is worth considered attention, outside the occasional, simplistic call for commercial fishing to be banned somewhere. It’s something I was asked about after the release of the 2022 Oceana Group results, so perhaps it’s not just me.

Some context may be a good departure point. According to Stats SA, in 2019 the fishing industry generated R9.4bn from processed fish products. It directly employs nearly 17,000 people, many of whom live in rural coastal communities where other economic opportunities are limited. More people and their families indirectly rely on the sector for their livelihoods.

Fish, particularly canned fish, is an affordable, healthy source of protein for many SA families. Evidence of this is the 4-million people who consume canned fish every day, and the Kasi Star Brands benchmarking survey, which found Lucky Star tinned fish to be the top-performing township brand for 2022/23.

This points to a robust fishing industry being a valuable contributor to the country’s GDP and much of what it produces constituting an important source of nourishment for much of its population. But how sustainable is it?

Some activists and environmental NGOs suggest not at all and call for fishing bans or swathes of ocean to be declared marine protected areas. These calls may be motivated by a distrust that fisheries’ management is working and are a rallying cry to marshal support. But they are not backed by accurate or persuasive science.

The fact of the matter is that SA’s offshore marine resource biomass is well managed, and most stocks have been stable for the past 50 years. To give one example, the anchovy population has been well above what it was in the late 1990s for the past 20 years.

That’s not to say climate change isn’t altering marine dynamics and that we shouldn’t be concerned, but its impact isn’t universally negative. Some fish populations will benefit while others will not. Nor am I suggesting the fishing industry shouldn’t be doing everything reasonably possible to ensure the sustainability of maritime resources. The future of our business depends on that.

In this regard, one of the concerns is by-catch, when species other than those being targeted are caught. A number of initiatives are being implemented to mitigate this problem. These include exclusion devices that enable predators chasing target species to escape the trawl nets. Tori lines are another. These are streamers attached to lines or trawl cables, which scare away predating seabirds to prevent them being injured.

We also carry two permanent scientific observers from the department of forestry, fisheries & environment on our midwater trawls. As well as recording the size and age of the fish caught, they can instruct the vessel to move to another area if there is too much by-catch. In addition, the industry helps ensure compliance, reporting irregularities and suspicious vessels. As a result, there is little illegal offshore fishing in SA territorial waters.

The real crisis is inshore, where poachers target high-value, relatively easy-to-catch species such as abalone and West Coast rock lobster. Abalone has been virtually wiped out and West Coast rock lobster is following a similar trajectory.

Doug Butterworth, emeritus professor with the department of mathematics & applied mathematics at the University of Cape Town and an internationally recognised fisheries’ scientist, says SA’s primary focus when it comes to marine protected areas should be “space-time closures to reduce the illegal fishing that is wiping out our major inshore resources”.

Regarding the future of the sector in SA, I’m often asked about aquaculture. Internationally it’s growing fast to meet increased demand for seafood, and it’s estimated that in the next two years the volume of farmed produce will exceed that of wild-caught fish.

The reality, nevertheless, is that for high-volume, low-value species it will be difficult for SA to complete. Input costs such as labour and power are double those for the East, and a reliable electricity supply is essential. The exception is the high-value domestic abalone species. Where the local industry will benefit is as a provider of fishmeal to the global aquaculture sector. Growth will see demand increase, which will sustain the current good prices.

Other than the threatened high-value inshore species, the SA fishing industry is in a relatively good place. It is generally well run, well managed and the offshore resources are sustainably harvested and stable.

• Brink is CEO of Oceana Group, Africa’s largest seafood company.