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SA facing perlemoen crisis
06/06/2007 12:23 - (SA)
Cape Town - Poaching and ecological change have driven South Africa's wild abalone fishery to the point of collapse, and it now appears likely to be closed for a decade to allow stocks time to recover.
By November this year, if no significant reversal was seen in the decline of abalone stocks, "we will be forced to announce a plan to close down the commercial abalone sector for a period of about 10 years", Environment Minister Marthinus van Schalkwyk warned on Tuesday.
Opening debate on his department's budget vote in the National Assembly, he told MPs the main causes of the decline were poaching and "ecosystem effects", the latter the result of a southward migration of rock lobsters that had wiped out the sea urchin population on the Cape's south coast.
Young abalone - an edible mollusc, known locally as perlemoen - take shelter from predators under the spines of sea urchins.
Briefing the media earlier on Tuesday, Van Schalkwyk said he had warned about the abalone situation for the past three years.
"I've issued warnings every year when we make the allocation... If by later this year, there is not a significant reversal of the abalone situation, I will strongly consider closing this fishery.
"These are not just empty words. If we want to save something for generations to come, this type of drastic intervention will be considered."
He told the House the challenge should this happen would be to find alternative jobs for the fishermen involved in this sector.
According to the department, the total allowable abalone catch for 2007 is 125 tons, well down on last year's 223 tons.
Although wild abalone stocks are declining, abalone farming in South Africa is expanding rapidly. Last year, the mariculture industry produced 900 tons of abalone, generating R141m.
Earlier this year, Van Schalkwyk said farmed abalone "could assist to compensate for jobs that are lost in the wild abalone fishery".
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