Squeeze on Snoek. By-Catch Loopholes Put Pressure on Traditional Line Fishery

Snoek is a tuna pole by-catch, but squid fishers are also offloading tons of snoek. This has raised the ire of fishers in the traditional line fishery in the Western and South Western Cape who say this is jeopardising their livelihoods.

Snoek is seasonal and this year’s snoek run has produced good hauls. For some fishers though, things were a bit tense initially when in the run up to Easter it was reported that the Fisheries Branch IT system had collapsed.

Already squeezed by the COVID-19 pandemic and climate change, snoek fishers were afraid they would again lose out on their market.