Into 2022. Prospects, Challenges, and Operation Certainty

What does 2022 have in store? What are the prospects for a smooth start to the Fishing Right Allocation Process (FRAP 2021) and operation certainty? Can the challenges the COVID-19 pandemic dealt to South Africa’s commercial fishing industry be laid to rest?

The recent announcement that exemptions would be granted until the evaluation phase is completed makes sense. The time period to announce successful right applications was too compressed to have met the Department of Environment, Forestry and Fisheries’ (DFFE) original deadlines of January 2022. While common sense has prevailed, we eagerly await the results.

Some of the pertinent issues DFFE must deal with are as follows:

• Oligopolistic structure of the fishing industry, the concentration of rights in some sectors by larger commercial companies.
• Transformation – no upfront targets were set for each sector hence it’s difficult to judge the overall administrative / policy intent.
• How do you reward black SMME right holders who have operationally performed and have investment in vessels and factories?
• Science and economics should be key decision-making criteria for allowing any new entrants in, if at all.