"Our country's resource situation is bad. We have stocks which could collapse at any time," acting deputy director-general Siphokazi Ndudane told the portfolio committee on agriculture, forestry and fisheries. "Some fish species could be completely eliminated."
The situation was made worse by that fact that the department's only research vessel had been gathering dust for more than two years. Stock assessments are done by private fishing industry vessels.
Ndudane did not specify which species were most at risk, but scientists recently expressed concern about West Coast rock lobster and abalone, the worst affected by poaching. Experts say the situation is likely to get worse.
The department also expressed concern about the state's ability to monitor illegal trawlers because of "problems" with the department's patrol fleet, which has been caught up in a tender dispute. There is a severe shortage of fisheries compliance officers, with only about 250 to cover the entire 3,800km of coastline.
Committee member Zelda Jongbloed said the lack of accurate fish stock data was worrying. "We do not really know how the stock is doing".
Johann Augustyn, the secretary of the SA Deep Sea Trawling Industry Association, said: "We share the director's concern about certain fish stocks. While some stocks are in good condition, others, such as abalone, West Coast rock lobster and many line fish species, are threatened by over-exploitation.
"Heavy poaching on these coastal species is the main culprit and we are aware that the department does not have the resources it needs to address this, especially in terms of staff. "It also needs to address the issue of corruption in the inspectorate."
Small fishing industry spokesman Andy Johnston said healthy fish stocks were vital to food security. "We are importing snoek, calamari and lobster. Economically, it is not viable."
Corruption in fishing rights allocations was to blame, he said. "We had a system that was so corrupt it left people outside. Genuine fisher folk had no alternative but to poach."
John Duncan, the senior manager of World Wildlife Fund SA's marine programme, said recovery from overfishing was possible - as proved by many of the world's larger industrial fisheries - but it required a consistent, long-term and science-based approach to fisheries management, in which all the players knew all the rules and agreed to comply with management targets.
Source: The Times
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