Dear Editor,
It has been reported in the past few weeks that illegal abalone worth millions of rands was once again confiscated by police in the Western Cape. This is however just the tip of the iceberg of this thriving illegal industry where poachers and the overseas markets make huge sums of money out of our country's natural resources.
In order to prevent the depletion of abalone stock, the government thought it prudent to prevent the normal sports recreational diver of taking out any abalone for personal use. It is however not the sports diver that is responsible for the problem, as divers previously have been doing this for decades.
Since the overseas demand for abalone increased over the past few years, the poaching increased which ultimately led to the depletion of the abalone stock. This industry should also not be viewed in isolation as it goes hand-in-hand with other illegal activities like money laundering, prostitution, gang activities, drug trafficking and the likes.
I know that local fisherman make their livelihood out of the ocean and I am not advocating that commercial diving for abalone should be stopped. The government should however look at other ways of stopping the poaching, as the current measures are not working and the situation is definitely out of control.
Why does government not allow sport divers and local fisherman to take out for example 2-3 abalones a day and then sell it to approved abalone farms? In this way the industry will be legalised (taxed) and it can be more effectively regulated in terms of the abalone stock (monitoring and protection). It has been proven in the past that if a well regulated industry is created, then the demand for the illegal product decreases.
It cannot be that difficult for divers to apply for a licence and be issued with a bar coded permit. Abalone collection and distribution points can then be created in coastal towns (job creation) and can be linked to a central computerised system in order to prevent divers from taking out more that their quota per day. The public can then be allowed to buy abalone at these venues and the rest can be destined for the export market.
This will allow local fisherman to legally earn there living from the ocean and the SA public to enjoy a traditional abalone meal.
Anon
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Disclaimer: All articles and letters published on MyNews24 have been independently written by members of News24's community. The views of users published on News24 are therefore their own and do not necessarily represent the views of News24. News24 editors also reserve the right to edit or delete any and all comments received.