Question NW1295 to the Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment
28 May 2021 - NW1295
Bryant, Mr D W to ask the Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment
NATIONAL ASSEMBLY (For written reply) QUESTION NO. 1295 {NW1488E} INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER NO. 13 of 2021 DATE OF PUBLICATION: 14 May 2021 Mr D W Bryant (DA) to ask the Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment: Whether, in view of the unpoliced night fishing which remains a concern across the country and has been banned in the Breede Estuary, and in light of the purported Ministerial approval for the ban of night fishing across the Republic, which has not yet been gazetted, she has approved a ban on night fishing for implementation across the Republic; if not, why not; if so, (a) how far along is the process of gazetting the ban on night fishing and (b) what agencies will be involved in the (i) policing and (ii) management of a night fishing ban?
Reply:
- The Department has drafted the regulations prohibiting fishing at night in estuaries in terms of subsections 2(e) and 2(n) of section 77 of the Marine Living Resources Act, 1998 (Act 18 of 1998). The draft regulations will be published in due course for public comment as part of Phase 2 of the socio-economic impact assessment system (SEIAS). SEIAS aims to minimise unintended consequences from regulations and legislation, including unnecessary costs from implementation and compliance as well as from unanticipated outcomes and to anticipate implementation risks and encourage measures to mitigate them.
- (i) Departmental Fishery Control Officers, the Department's patrol vessels, Law Enforcement Agencies forming part of Phakisa Initiative 5 and SAPS will police the night fishing ban.
(ii) The Branch: Fisheries Management and the Branch: Oceans and Coasts through its Chief Directorate: Integrated Coastal Management will be responsible for the management of the night fishing ban in estuaries.
Regards
MS B D CREECY, MP
MINISTER OF FORESTRY, FISHERIES AND THE ENVIRONMENT
DATE: