On World Oceans Day, 8 June 2020, we forwarded a memorandum to the Minister of environment, forestry and fisheries. As this “Save our Sharks” petition is nearing 25 000 signatories we acted on your support and asked her to no longer turn a blind eye on shark conservation and to stop demersal longline sharkfishing immediately.
We are becoming increasingly alarmed and disenchanted by some of the inexplicable decisions by DEFF over the past number of years. In the face of scientific experts expressing caution, and persons in the industry expressing concerns, we have witnessed the continued and relentless commercial harvesting of sharks with little regard to the consequences.
Parliamentary oversight has proven unsatisfactory in exposing irregularities and omissions. The current situation has only been revealed by action groups exposing the facts to the public. The most recent Carte Blanche TV expose revealed even more unsatisfactory situations.
So the question we are asking is: how did the custodians of the marine resource, fisheries management department, allow this to happen?
In addition to the NPOA-sharks expert review panel, which was appointed last month, we are requesting a proper review of the managerial performance of the department and that persons involved in mismanagement or any other irregularities are brought to account. We can no longer allow poor management and idle personnel to destroy our marine biodiversity!
We are requesting that recommendations made long ago are acted upon. Illegal actions, such as fishing in an MPA, need to be dealt with firmly and urgently. Enforcement of the law is crucial. (Currently the shark regulations are all bark but no bite!) We as the public cannot do the work of the department. We have done so up to now… the one and only case against a DLS vessel (the White Rose) blatantly fishing in a MPA, was as a result of the public intervention, not due to the department’s own law enforcers. Even though the vessels have monitoring devices whereby one can detect when they fish in a MPA, apart from visual observations, the department relentlessly turns a blind eye.
In addition it is well known that the DLS vessels “are fishing the line”, i.e. fishing just along the MPA boundaries and in doing so negate the very purpose of a MPA. Calls for a buffer zone has been made, but true to their nature, fisheries have blinkers on.
Furthermore, there is ongoing shark resource user group conflict, where sharks are being longline fished in clear view of ecotourism activities. Local and overseas tourists have to view how sharks are ripped from the ocean and their heads chopped off while still alive. Even after this came into the open, the department did not intervene, but turned a blind eye.
But the most important request is for the Minister to open her eyes to the shark situation where smoothhound and soupfin sharks have been fished into the IUCN Endangered and Critically Endangered categories. The great white shark has all but disappeared. The only solution is to immediately stop demersal longline fishing for sharks!
We ask the minister to critically review all of the above and address it in a transparent manner.
She must know for sure… the public will no longer turn a blind eye.
The letter to Minister Creecy can be viewed or downloaded at: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1n5CrEWaNlR19QjZ5ncQ_FT6F-FISNqJg/view?usp=sharing
Photograph of Ronelle Friend (Algoa Bay Conservation) and Shaun Fitzhenry (Nelson Mandela Bay Tourism) with the Save Our Sharks petition memorandum to the Minister.
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