Call for a Moratorium on Fishing West Coast Rock Lobster

A veteran, small-scale fisher backed by the coastal community he represents, is calling for a moratorium to be placed on fishing West Coast Rock Lobster. He says in his personal capacity his quota allocation has declined by 66% since 2007, and that he and other fishers are concerned that it will soon become impossible to rebuild the resource.

Charles America, a bona fide Khoi San small-scale fisher has written to the Minister of the Department of Forestry, Fisheries, and the Environment, Ms Barbara Creecy, and to DDG, Sue Middleton, to request that a moratorium be placed on all west coast rock lobster fishing. He suggests this should be between three and five years.

He has also directed a letter to the members of the Portfolio Committee for Fisheries to ask that they carefully consider this request.