Under the Hammer. Court Bid to Force a Reduction in Global TAC of West Coast Rock Lobster

The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) has sought legal recourse to force the South African Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries to reduce the global total allowable catch (TAC) of west coast rock lobster by 59% for the 2017/2018 season.

The WWF says legal action was a last resort to repeated efforts to find an amicable solution to the problems in the fishery. In 2011 it was agreed with stakeholders a recovery target of increasing stock levels by 35 years over 10 years, and in 2016 a comprehensive fishery conservation project was co-developed to address the key challenges in the fishery. Neither were implemented.

Although small-scale fishers agree with the WWF’s action and recognise that a reduced global TAC will go some way to ensuring the protection and sustainability of the west coast rock lobster biomass, they also say a reduction by more than half to 227 ton (currently 554 tons) allocated to this sector for the season will impact negatively on the livelihoods of about 2000 fishers and their dependents.