The Untapped Potential of South Africa’s Fishing and Aquaculture Industry

South Africa has an emerging aquaculture industry that consists mainly of freshwater species such as crocodiles, trout, catfish, tilapia and ornamental fish, as well as marine species such as abalone, prawns, oysters and mussels. South Africa is a net exporter of fish products, presenting the country with an opportunity to increase its foreign currency earnings.

The untapped potential of this industry could be because of the knowledge gap that exists. According to an aquaculture survey by Britz’s institution ), a few years ago, 85% of interviewees had never heard of the term aquaculture. Of those that had, 30% came from the Western Cape with Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal and Eastern Cape recording 6%, 8% and 14% respectively. Although the study might be old, bridging this knowledge gap will take time.

Growth status of aquaculture in South Africa

According to the WOW report on ocean and coastal fishing, aquaculture, processing and the wholesale of fish, the industry has shown significant growth as illustrated in the graph. Yet it remains small by global standards.

South African small-scale fish farmers, and there are many of them according to the Hatchery International website, are suffering and not growing due to high costs of production and unstable energy supply. 

Regulatory framework for aquaculture in South Africa

The South African fishing industry is regulated by the Department of Forests, Fisheries and Environment, Marine and Coastal Management branch.

There have been some, but insufficient, policy and regulation changes since 1994 aimed at benefitting previously disadvantaged groups. The transformation of the sector, while better than in many other sectors, has been slow, particularly in aquaculture with small-scale farmers and fishers still facing obstacles of high input costs and particularly quotas favouring large-scale commercial farmers.

The Department of Forestry, Fisheries, and the Environment (DFFE) came up with incentives to encourage new entrants such as the Aquaculture Development and Enhancement Programme (ADeP), where qualifying entities can receive between 30%-45% grants towards equipment, infrastructure etc. This intervention was welcomed by the industry, but its implementation and execution is slow.

The size of South Africa’s aquaculture production of about 5,200 tonnes (t) annually pales compared with commercial open ocean fishing producing approximately 477,000t annually. Good intentions of promoting aquaculture must be followed through with execution to realise the high growth potential inherent in this promising industry. It would also contribute to better manage the limited marine resources.

South Africa’s exclusive economic zone and national fishing zones

South Africa’s maritime jurisdiction includes the exclusive economic zones and national fishing zones. The exclusive economic zone extends up to 200 nautical miles (approximately 370km) from its shores, which are determined according to international law.  

These zones are managed by the Forestry, Fisheries, and the Environment for exploring, exploiting, conserving, and managing natural resources within this zone.

Small operators find themselves disadvantaged by policies that are more favourable to the commercial farmers who take the lion’s share. In the name of avoiding over-fishing, the allocated quotas have had a negative impact on smaller operators. It is sad to see small family-owned fishing boats anchored in many coastal areas as their permits prohibit them from going out to fish.

Aquaculture to the rescue

With the increase in global demand for fish and the possibility of this demand being met by aquaculture production, there is a growing need for new investments in aquaculture. According to Invest SA, South Africa is one of the largest producers and exporters of abalone and is famous for its farmed premium abalone (Haliotis midae).

The country produces about 1,700t of abalone per year, providing foreign currency earnings. To realise the potential, the government should implement some of the recommendations made by its entity, the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) which identified strategic freshwater aquaculture and eight strategic mariculture areas across the country.

This can also provide career opportunities for the youth, add skilled personnel to the industry, expand markets locally and internationally, and allow more people to set up business in the aquaculture industry.