Conservation cashes in

2003-12-18 21:00

Cape Town - Marine conservation is to get a Christmas present - the first cheque from the sale of confiscated perlemoen on the international market.

"At the moment frozen abalone goes for $65 to $85/kg, with the dried variety selling for $120/kg," said Nasir Daniels, finance and procurement director of Marine and Coastal Management (MCM).

"We finalised a tender in November this year, with two service providers appointed to administer the entire plan of processing, marketing and selling on behalf of the state."

Daniels said before February 2001, the state was selling confiscated perlemoen via closed tenders. This spawned a vast net of corruption and fraud.

"We found out that, for example, people were colour-copying tender documents to export endless amounts of abalone. Today we don't even know the value of these false exports.

"People also bought poor quality abalone on tender and then replaced them with fresh, poached abalone. The situation was uncontrollable," he said.

So it was decided that the closed tender programme would end, and the department would stockpile all confiscated perlemoen.

Daniels said more than 200 tons of stockpiled perlemoen were now kept in a commercial storage facility.

A final tender was put in place after two previous attempts failed.

The first evoked a storm of protest from existing perlemoen processors and was withdrawn, while the second was stopped when the South African Bureau of Standards scuppered a proposal for MCM to sell the entire consignment to the Far East.

"Two companies were awarded the tender, but we don't want to disclose too much of the where and how because of security risks," said Daniels.

Security

However, Daniels said all produce was insured, was escorted by armed guards when transported, and was subjected to a compliance audit by Deloitte and Touche as per tender requirement.

Other security features included a verification unit, extra security at processing plants together with closed-circuit television, as well as armed guards on patrol and armed response.

Daniels said as part of an ongoing cost recovery programme, MCM also awarded a two-year tender for selling confiscated Patagonian toothfish, with discussions around the first transfer presently underway.

A tender for the sale of confiscated West Coast rock lobster has already been awarded, with R4.5m realised from the sale of the 20 tons of lobster seized from the now defunct Hout Bay fishing company, implicated in massive poaching.

"We also intend advertising a two-year tender for the tons of crayfish that walk out onto the beaches with the onset of red-tide (a marine phenomenon which causes a lack of oxygen in the water)," said Daniels.

The Marine Living Resources Fund makes provision for, among others, marine and coastal research, compliance and sustainable management.

- SAPA