Ocean & Coastal Fishing and Aquaculture in South Africa 2021

Ocean & Coastal Fishing and Aquaculture in South Africa

The South African ocean and coastal fishing and aquaculture sector supports food security, provides jobs and is a net exporter of fish and other marine species and an important earner of foreign revenue. Abalone and lobster producers have been hard hit by the pandemic, and while most of the ocean and coastal fishery sectors have been resilient, the industry is feeling the effects of supply chain disruptions and climate change.

Marine Resources

While some fish stocks previously considered overfished, such as hake, have recovered through effective management, others are overfished, or the status of the stocks is unknown. Almost 40% of stocks are of concern. The Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment recently published the draft Revised National Biodiversity Framework 2019 to 2024 for the management and protection of species and ecosystems. Areas of significant concern include freshwater ecosystems, rivers and estuaries, with freshwater fish identified as the most vulnerable of all the species.

Fishing Rights

The fishing rights allocation process, which was postponed to the end of December 2021, deals with long-term commercial fishing rights. A key objective is to rebalance fishing quota allocations to empower community-based and small black-owned enterprises. The process has caused some concern that large fishing companies will get reduced allocations and that concerns relating to the rights allocation have discouraged investment.

Report Coverage

This report focuses on ocean and coastal fishing and aquaculture in South Africa. It provides comprehensive information on the state and size of the sector, performance of major players, developments and corporate actions. There is information on the fishing rights allocation process, total allowable catch and quotas and marine resources. The report includes 19 company profiles including major players I&J, Oceana and Sea Harvest and companies involved in the abalone industry such as Wild Coast Abalone and Abagold.