Policy on the Allocation and Management of Commercial Fishing Rights in the Tuna Pole-Line Fishery: 2021.

This Policy on the allocation and management of commercial fishing rights in tuna pole-line fishery is issued by the Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment, and must be read in conjunction with the General Policy on the allocation of commercial fishing rights: 2021. This Policy provides for: description and history of the fishery, including: tuna species, types of gears and vessels used; management of tuna and current status of the fishery. Concerning the objectives, this Policy recognises the need to ensure the optimal, long-term and justifiable use of marine living resources, in order to achieve sustainable development of the fishing sector, to obtain inclusive economic growth and create sustainable employment in line with the government’s development goals. Specific objectives, related to the allocation of fishing rights in the tuna pole-line fishery concern: the effective utilisation of the target species allocated to this fishery, namely southern Albacore tuna, yellowfin tuna, bigeye tuna and southern bluefin tuna and skipjack tuna with the gear and vessel specifications and management framework outlined in this Policy; optimal and sustainable use of the target species in accordance with the Ecosystem Approach to Fisheries, the tuna Regional Fisheries Management Organisations and scientific research; improvement of South Africa’s tuna catch performance regarding the target species; effective regulation of by-catch with consideration for the economic viability of the fishery; expansion of the Tuna Pole-line fishery to non-traditional tuna fishing areas, depending on species distribution and availability; promotion of meaningful transformation and growth in the Tuna Pole-line fishery in terms of factory ownership, export, value adding and diversification of tuna products, vessel ownership and management, development of skills for skippers, crew and shore personnel.
This Policy covers the following matters: fishing rights allocations principles, including: size, availability and current stock status of the tuna stocks, catch performance of the fishery, type, number and size of vessels, the economic viability of the fishery, overlap with other fisheries in terms of by-catch and target species; cross-sectoral involvement; granting of fishing rights; evaluation criteria of the applicants; effort allocation, taking into account previous catches; application of new entrants; suitable vessels; payment of application and grant of right fees; provisional list, announcement of decisions and management measures; permit conditions; monitoring and evaluation of the Policy; contraventions.