Cape Town - When nine fishing vessels leave their harbours to harvest South Coast rock lobsters, they will be undertaking a historic journey.
They will be representing 12 rights holders who were awarded 15-year fishing rights after the resource recovered from near depletion through a well-managed programme by marine coastal management.
The environmental affairs and tourism department this week allocated the first 15-year commercial fishing rights for rock lobster with a total allowable catch for this fish source amounting to 382 tons.
The successful applicants, who were all previous rights holders, have demonstrated transformation, investment in assets and job creation.
A total of 34 had lodged applications for long-term commercial fishing rights. Of these, 17 were holders of South Coast rock lobster commercial fishing rights (medium-term right holders) and 17 were new entrants.
The department said the allocation of the 12 rights in the fishery meant that ownership of the total allowable catch by black-owned rights holders now stood at 71 percent.
The successful applicants employ 441 people and have a combined total investment in this fishery in excess of R120 million, of which more than R55 million has been committed to vessels.
Kevin Patel, the acting chief executive of Premier Fishing, which through its subsidiary, Atlantic Fishing Enterprises, has been allocated 146 tons, was satisfied with the allocation.
While the company's allocation had seen a drop of 6.41 percent from its 2005 allocation of 156 tons, it was still the largest rights holder in this sector.
"It appears that the allocation has been based on the stringent criteria established by the authorities. As the largest rights holder in this fishery, we were uncertain about the long-term quantum that we would be awarded.
"We are therefore satisfied with the quantum allocated to us. We will, however, be examining the official documentation, which we have not received yet, to decide how we will proceed and whether we will need to take corrective action through the appeals process," Patel said.
The company had four vessels, out of the total of nine allowed to harvest rock lobster, and he hoped the vessels would sail within hours rather than days, depending on how soon the permits were granted.
Chantal Meter, of Bluefin Fishing Holdings in Hout Bay, said her company had applied for South Coast rock lobster rights allocations in a joint venture with Quickvest 304, a Durban-based company.
She said it was ridiculous to give one company 146 tons whereas so many people had applied.
"They have not even considered the new entrants into this market. We're building a factory to create jobs for the people and it should be completed in May 2006."
Meter said the company expected to employ between 80 and 100 people and hoped to process lobster, long-line hake trawl, pilchards and selected line fish.
"It's a R25 million factory I'm building and I'm now waiting ... the process is so quiet and nobody is communicating with you as a quota holder to tell you what is happening.
"You have to sit back and wait for the department to tell you this is your allocation.
"I want to know on what basis they allocated those quotas because in those allocations that they've made are people who have used the workers' names previously, have formed trusts while the workers have not benefited a cent out of this. Yet they've given it back to these people."
Meter said they were going to appeal the department's decision.
"I want to know how they allocate quotas. What basis do they base their scorecard on because if you make a substantial investment in the industry you expect to get a substantial quota. We don't know what process they have followed."