A South African court has dismissed a bid by a group of fishermen to overturn an official ban on commercial abalone fishing, the Environmental Affairs and Tourism ministry said on Thursday.
Minister Marthinus van Schalkwyk ordered the indefinite ban to protect existing natural stocks of the shellfish, which is threatened with extinction. The ban has been in place since February 1.
”We remain of the view that the abalone resource is in a crisis due to ecological changes and poaching,” Van Schalkwyk said in a statement welcoming the court’s decision.
The South African Abalone Industry Association, representing the commercial abalone fishing industry, went to court over fears the ban would affect members’ livelihoods.
The government has significantly reduced the total allowable abalone catch in the wild amid rampant poaching of the mollusc, which is highly priced as a seafood delicacy in Asia.
”The closure of the fishery is considered as the only viable option at this stage to provide an opportunity to prevent a total commercial collapse of this highly valued resource,” Van Schalkwyk said.
Over the last decade the total allowable catch for abalone has been reduced to 125 tonnes for the 2006/2007 season and an all time emergency low of 75 tonnes for 2007/2008 from 615 tonnes in 1995. – Reuters