Latest news with #PeterMbelengwa
Daily Maverick
14-05-2025
- Business
- Daily Maverick
Commercial fishers red-flag looming conflict with small-scale sector amid abalone quota uncertainty, dwindling catches
Commercial permit holders are worried about the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment's proposed plan to give quotas to small-scale fishers. Fishers from Western Cape coastal communities like Hawston, Hermanus, and Gansbaai depend on abalone (perlemoen) for their livelihoods. But those with commercial abalone permits believe their trade could be threatened if a greater share of the limited quota is given to the small-scale fishing sector. Public comment on the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE)'s intention to allocate abalone to the small-scale fishing sector opened in the Eastern Cape in February. It is not clear when this process will start in the Western Cape. But there's been no date set yet for consultations over the future of abalone fishing in the Western Cape and Eastern Cape, according to DFFE spokesperson Peter Mbelengwa. He added that 'no decision has been made on whether abalone fishing rights will be allocated to the small-scale fishing sector' or what the potential quota would be. Since the early 2000s, about 300 commercial abalone fishers have been allocated abalone fishing rights. When the rights period ended in 2014, these fishers were granted yearly exemption permits, which allowed them to continue diving for abalone according to their quota. Currently, there are about 100 commercial exemption permit holders. This is far fewer than the previous fishing season with about 300 permits, most of whom are from poor communities. The DFFE recently announced the suspension of many of the 300 permits, pending criminal investigations into alleged 'serious offences in terms of the Marine Living Resources Act'. But some fishers who still dive for their quota are worried about the already dwindling number of abalone. The small-scale fishing sector rights took years and were only finalised at the end of 2023, establishing about 62 small-scale fishing cooperatives in the Western Cape, with thousands of small-scale fishers. Losing a lifeline Abalone diver and exemption permit holder from Hermanus, Anton Kruger, said the allowable catch has decreased so much over the years that there'll barely be enough should the small-scale sector be given allocations. Kruger explained how he has seen the resources dwindle underwater over the years. Two years ago, he was given a quota of 10kg to dive in the Hangklip area. After diving for six hours he only caught seven abalone. After spending four hours diving in Kommetjie, he only left with one abalone, he said. Just after the Covid lockdown he went diving at St Helena Bay and couldn't find any abalone, hours later, after three dives. He said he found a patch of abalone and 'filled the quota' there. But when he returned the following year, 'there was nothing'. 'It was gone,' he said. In 2001, the total allowable catch (TAC) was set at 475 tonnes. Fishers like Kruger were allocated a yearly TAC of 300kg. Those without an additional lobster quota had higher TAC amounts of up to 500kg. This TAC decreased over the years as the abalone numbers plummeted. Kruger's current quota is 94kg. At the time, the then Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism said that the allocation of abalone rights to the commercial sector aimed to introduce 'a new system of co-management, and to effectively address the threat of the illegal harvesting and over-catching of abalone'. However, the estimated number of poached abalone is much higher than the yearly TAC. TRAFFIC, an illegal wildlife trafficking organisation, estimates that between 2,000 and 2,016 – just more than 2,100 tonnes – abalone are poached per year. More recent figures by TRAFFIC estimate that poached abalone peaked in 2018 with just more than 5,000 tonnes and then saw a drop to about 2,400 tonnes poached in 2022. A commercial exemption permit holder from Hawston, Frederick Fisher, said he is worried about his livelihood if the abalone quota is slashed even further or given to the small-scale sector. After costs such as boats and transport he takes home about R80,000 per year. Perlemoen is the only thing he catches and the only way he makes a living, he said. Fisher, who was born and raised in Hawston, said poaching was rife in his community. 'You can't blame the people. They don't have work,' he said. 'Abalone is in any case on the edge of collapse… If they make the mistake of giving small-scale the abalone,' he said. Another commercial rights holder from Gansbaai, Sammy Brett, blamed socioeconomic circumstances in coastal communities as the root cause of poaching. He added that making arrests was not enough to curb poaching and that it 'shows no humanity towards these people'. Decreasing the abalone TAC could mean an even lower quota for those with permits, he said. Brett said he was sceptical that bringing in the small-scale sector would help to bring fishing communities out of poverty. Small-scale fishing representative organisation, Masifundise, said there is a demand from small-scale fishers to access abalone rights, but they also have 'important concerns' that should be addressed. 'Particularly given that these communities are often excluded from decisions that affect their livelihoods.' The department's Mbelengwa added that the concerns raised by commercial exemption permit holders regarding potential conflict in the fishing community 'are premature and pre-emptive' since the formal consultation process regarding the future of the abalone sector has 'not yet commenced'. He said the department has consistently talked to various fishing sectors, including the abalone permit holders, and that further engagements would take place. DM
Eyewitness News
13-05-2025
- Business
- Eyewitness News
Battle looms over abalone quota
WESTERN CAPE - Fishers from Western Cape coastal communities like Hawston, Hermanus, and Gansbaai depend on abalone (also known as 'perlemoen') for their livelihoods. But those with commercial abalone permits believe their trade could be threatened if a greater share of the limited quota is given to the small-scale fishing sector. Public comment on the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE)'s intention to allocate abalone to the small-scale fishing sector opened in the Eastern Cape in February. It is not clear when this process will start in the Western Cape. There's been no date set yet for consultations over the future of abalone fishing in the Western Cape and Eastern Cape, according to DFFE spokesperson Peter Mbelengwa. He added that 'no decision has been made on whether abalone fishing rights will be allocated to the small-scale fishing sector' or what the potential quota would be. Since the early 2000s, about 300 commercial abalone fishers have been allocated abalone fishing rights. When the rights period ended in 2014, these fishers were granted yearly exemption permits, which allowed them to continue diving for abalone according to their quota. Currently, there are about 100 commercial exemption permit holders. This is far less than the previous fishing season when there were about 300 permit holders, most of whom are from poor communities. The DFFE recently announced the suspension of many of the 300 permits, pending criminal investigations into alleged 'serious offences in terms of the Marine Living Resources Act'. Some fishers who still dive for their quota are worried about the dwindling number of abalone. The small-scale fishing sector rights took years and were only finalised at the end of 2023, establishing about 62 small-scale fishing cooperatives in the Western Cape, with thousands of small-scale fishers. Losing a lifeline Abalone diver and exemption permit holder from Hermanus, Anton Kruger, said the allowable catch had decreased so much over the years that there would barely be enough if the small-scale sector is given allocations. Kruger said he had seen the resource dwindle over the years. Two years ago, in the Hangklip area, after diving for six hours, he only caught seven abalone. After spending four hours diving in Kommetjie, he only left with one abalone, he said. Soon after, he went diving at St Helena Bay and couldn't find any abalone, hours later, after three dives. He said he found a patch of abalone and 'filled the quota' there. But when he returned the following year, 'there was nothing'. 'It was gone,' he said. In 2001, the total allowable catch (TAC) was set at 475 tons. Fishers like Kruger were allocated a yearly TAC of 300kg. Those without an additional lobster quota had higher TAC amounts of up to 500kg. This TAC decreased over the years as the abalone numbers plummeted. Kruger's current annual quota is 94kg. At the time, the then-Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism said that the allocation of abalone rights to the commercial sector aimed to introduce 'a new system of co-management, and to effectively address the threat of the illegal harvesting and over-catching of abalone'. However, the estimated number of poached abalone is much higher than the yearly TAC. TRAFFIC, an organisation which monitors wildlife trafficking, estimates that between 2000 and 2016 just over 2,100 tons of abalone were poached per year. More recent figures by TRAFFIC estimated that poached abalone peaked in 2018 with just over 5,000 tons and then saw a drop to about 2,400 tons poached in 2022. Commercial exemption permit holder from Hawston, Frederick Fisher, said he is worried about his livelihood if the abalone quota is slashed even further or given to the small-scale sector. After paying costs like boats and transport, he takes home about R80,000 per year. Perlemoen is the only thing he catches and the only way he makes a living, he said. Fisher, who was born and raised in Hawston, said that poaching was rife in his community. 'You can't blame the people. They don't have work,' he said. 'Abalone is in any case on the edge of collapse … If they make the mistake of giving small-scale the abalone,' he said. Another commercial rights holder from Gansbaai, Sammy Brett, blamed socio-economic circumstances in coastal communities as the root cause for poaching. He said making arrests was not enough to curb poaching and 'shows no humanity towards these people'. Decreasing the abalone TAC could mean even less quota for those with permits, he said. Brett said that he was sceptical that bringing in the small-scale sector would help to bring fishing communities out of poverty. Small-scale fishing representative organisation, Masifundise, said there is a demand from small-scale fishers to access abalone rights, but they also have 'important concerns' that should be addressed. 'Particularly given that these communities are often excluded from decisions that affect their livelihoods.' The department's Mbelengwa added that the concerns raised by commercial exemption permit holders regarding potential conflict in the fishing community 'are premature and pre-emptive' as the formal consultation process about the future of the abalone sector has 'not yet commenced'. He said that the department has consistently talked to various fishing sectors, including the abalone permit holders, and that further engagements would take place. This article first appeared on GroundUp. Read the original article here.
Yahoo
17-03-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
A Team of Scientists Is Trapped at Isolated Antarctic Base for 10 Months. 1 of Them Just Attacked and Threatened Others: Report
A researcher has allegedly attacked fellow colleagues while they're stationed at an isolated base in Antarctica, it's been reported An email sent by one of the scientists said the person, who hasn't been named, was behaving in a "deeply disturbing" manner, per South Africa's An investigation is reportedly underway and the situation is being monitored A researcher at an isolated base in Antarctica sent a worrying email, accusing another team member of physical and sexual assault, as well as threatening to kill somebody, it's been reported. An overwintering team, consisting of 10 members, is almost entirely cut off from the outside world at South Africa's Antarctica base amid harsh weather conditions, per South Africa's The Time. According to the U.K. Times, the group is stationed at the SANAE IV (South African National Antarctic Expedition) base located in Vesleskarvet, Queen Maud Land. Last month, a team member sparked concern after sending an email about a person's "egregious" and "deeply disturbing" behavior, accusing them of physical and sexual assault, as well as threatening to kill somebody, the publication stated. "His behavior has become increasingly egregious, and I am experiencing significant difficulty in feeling secure in his presence,' the email read, per the outlet. 'It is imperative that immediate action is taken to ensure my safety and the safety of all employees." 'Regrettably, [his] behavior has escalated to a point that is deeply disturbing. Specifically, he physically assaulted [name withheld], which is a grave violation of personal safety and workplace norms," the message continued, the outlet stated. 'Furthermore, he threatened to kill [name withheld], creating an environment of fear and intimidation. I remain deeply concerned about my own safety, constantly wondering if I might become the next victim,' the email reportedly added. The person who sent the email and the alleged attacker have not been publicly named. The message reportedly stated "numerous concerns" about the person in question had allegedly been raised before the S. A. Agulhas II ship that brought them there had departed on its return journey, per the outlet. The journey from Cape Town is approximately 2,485 miles and takes around 10-15 days depending on the amount of ice the group hits on the way, per South Africa's The Times. The Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE), which manages the South African National Antarctic Programme (SANAP), confirmed an investigation is underway regarding the email. Per AccuWeather, temperatures in the area are ranging this week from around 5 degrees Fahrenheit to around -7.6 degrees Fahrenheit. 'The department is responding to these concerns with the utmost urgency and have had a number of interventions with all parties concerned at the base,' DFFE communications chief Peter Mbelengwa said, per South Africa's The Times. 'A full investigation is being commissioned and the department will act accordingly in relation to any wrong conduct against any official that has misconducted themselves,' Mbelengwa added, per the outlet. DFFE minister Dion George confirmed he'd seen the email, the publication stated. South Africa's The Times reported that the only way to leave the base right now would be "via emergency medical evacuation to a neighboring German base" around 186 miles away, citing two sources with inside knowledge. DFFE's Mbelengwa told the outlet that tests had previously been done to "ensure the team can endure the psychological stress of isolation," per South Africa's The Times. 'In this instance, no negative outcomes were recorded in relation to all the overwinterers in Sanae, which forms a critical component of the department's risk assessment processes,' he said, according to the outlet. "[They] are being taken through a thorough process and their various options are being discussed. During this unforeseen incident, the department is engaging with the professional that undertook the psychometric evaluation, to have the overwinterers reassessed and to assist with coping mechanisms during their time at the base, inclusive of conflict resolution strategies, interpersonal skills improvement as well as overall counseling and support," he continued. Never miss a story — sign up for to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. The first South African National Antarctic Expedition (SANAE) departed in 1959, per the website. As well as SANAE IV, there is also one station each on the subantarctic islands Gough Island and Marion Island. Professional explorer Alan Chambers, who completed a 700-mile skiing expedition to the South Pole in 2024, said of the Antarctica conditions, per the U.K.'s The Times, 'From a psychological perspective it's a very very lonely place. There's very little interaction with humans or animals so if you're in a camp or a research center you're with those people for six months, if not a year." 'What I think it does, from a psychological point of view, is that everything becomes heightened. It's all white — there's no color, no noise and nothing you would see as normal so everybody's behavior — including your own — gets magnified and the little things become the big things," he added. Per South Africa's The Times, a person was removed from the Marion Island base after "allegedly running amok with an axe" six years ago. DFFE's Mbelengwa, a contact for the SANAE IV base and a spokesperson for Dion George didn't immediately respond when contacted by PEOPLE for additional information regarding the investigation into the emails. Read the original article on People
