Diagnosing the Effectiveness of Fisheries Management

The effectiveness of fisheries management in South Africa is like a red flag to a bull when it comes up for discussion in the commercial fishing industry. Professor Kevern Cochrane, of the Department of Ichthyology and Fisheries Science at Rhodes University, and fellow authors, Jessica Eggers and Warwick H.H. Sauer, recently published a paper about this topic with reference to the west coast rock lobster and small pelagic fisheries.

The 18-page paper is titled “A diagnosis of the status and effectiveness of marine fisheries management in South Africa based on two representative case studies.” It was forwarded to the Department of Environment, Forestry and Fisheries (DEFF) almost two months ago and acknowledged but it is unknown whether it has had any influence on departmental plans or actions.

The results of the work done by Cochrane and his co-authors detail strengths and weaknesses that are already known to people closely connected to the two fisheries as well as the Fisheries branch. It is presented as an overall assessment and is a clear picture of a government agency under pressure. It also helps to demonstrate the range of challenges that need to be addressed and where DEFF’s priorities should lie.