Abalone poaching, one of the biggest problems faced by the local fishing industry, is helping to fuel the drug trade. The marine mollusc, also known as perlemoen, is regarded as a delicacy in many parts of the world. It was easy to catch and could fetch up to R4500/kg on the black market, a conference in Cape Town heard yesterday.Illegally harvested abalone was often exported to Asian countries and syndicates were often paid in drugs, said Ceba Mtoba, head of fisheries compliance enforcement at the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries.Mtoba said a multifaceted approach was required to curb abalone poaching, including working with Asian countries to ensure they were stricter in trading the species, which was on the edge of extinction.Several delegates pointed out that South Africa was vulnerable to fishing crimes because of its many ports and vast coastline.But Mtoba said in the past two decades progress had been made in curbing illegal fishing through the development of international policies to encourage, for example, improved flag and port state responsibility for fishing vessels, their crews and their activities. Many countries had also made significant improvements in national fisheries policies and legislation...