A CATCH TOO FAR: Sub- sistence fisherman Michael Govender says he won't be able to afford the massive angling licence hike proposed by government

'We won't be able to make it; we will have to consider turning to crime to survive. We have no other jobs, this is our job'

The Department of Water and Environmental Affairs tabled a proposal to increase angling fees in the Government Gazette two weeks ago.

According to the proposal, stakeholders are invited to comment on the following:

• General fishing permits to increase from R69 to R200 a year;
• Crayfish licences to increase from R75 to R500 a year; and
• General bait licences to increase from R85 to R500 a year.

The proposed increases are due to be implemented in May, subject to objections by stakeholders.

Subsistence fishermen have slated the hikes, some saying that their livelihoods are being threatened and they will have no alternative but to turn to crime to feed their families.

"We put food on the table through the money we get from selling the fish. We can't go into Durban Harbour to fish, they have put a bag limit on the amount of fish we can catch, and now they want to increase the price of the permit.

"We won't be able to make it; we will have to consider turning to crime to survive. We have no other jobs, this is our job," said angry Michael Govender of Chatsworth.

Wahab Vajeth said his circumstances were so dire that he had considered turning to crime. "We are already battling, and it's going to be worse if they put up the price of the permit."

Esoop Mohamed, chairman of the Subsistence Fishermen's Forum, described the proposed hikes as "ridiculous".

"Almost all the Indian fishermen have been fishing since they were children. They know no other life. This price hike will make an already bad situation worse, because they will not be able to afford it."

He said there were about a thousand men in Chatsworth alone who relied on daily fishing to earn a living of between R1500 and R3000 a month.

The Department of Water and Environmental Affairs has defended the hike, calling it "inflation related".

Spokesman Zolile Nqayi said the department's commitment was not only to the fishing industry but also to the conservation of marine resources.

"Marine resources are dwindling. The industry, especially the recreational sector, also has a responsibility to contribute to the management of the resource."

The co-ordinator of the South Durban Community Environmental Alliance (SDCEA), Desmond de Sa, said international fishing boat operators, not local Indian subsistence fishermen, were depleting the oceans' resources.

Suren Anirudh, a fisherman from Chatsworth, agreed. "Why are they not looking at the international trawlers that pull out 20 tons of fish at a time? Even 20000 fishermen cannot pull out a quarter of that. We will definitely not be able to afford this hike."

Recreational fishermen have supported subsistence fishermen. Extreme Sports Angling (ESA) CEO Armando Costa said: "We are not opposed to an increase in fees, but feel that the increases we are to be subjected to are ludicrous, particularly for those anglers and fishermen who rely on the ocean for their livelihood."

The Minority Front's Shameen Rajbansi said the families of subsistence fishermen relied on fishing for their survival and the fee hike was unfair.