NATIONAL COUNCIL OF PROVINCES
WRITTEN REPLY
QUESTION 557
QUESTION 557 FOR WRITTEN REPLY: MR D A WORTH (DA-FS) TO ASK THE
MINISTER OF AGRICULTURE, FORESTRY AND FISHERIES:
(1) Whether the delay in appointing a service provider for the (a)
maintenance and (b) operation of her departmentâs research
vessels has an impact on fisheries management; if not, what is
the position in this regard; if so, what are the relevant
details;
(2) whether fish stock assessment is currently being conducted; if
not, why not; if so, if so, what are the relevant details? CW701E
Reply
1) The delay has had a moderate impact on fisheries management. These
effects will be less serious if surveys can be resumed in the near
future, which is the intention.
2) The inactivity of the IFRS Africana has caused the loss of three
surveys namely:
a. The autumn demersel survey on the South Coast: no hake, sole,
squid or horse mackerel indices could be calculated.
b. The horse mackerel biomass survey could not be done.
The first two surveys provide data points in a time series of
biomass indices. These time series are used for inputs into
mathematical models assessing the status of the two species
of hake and other species. Loss of these data points are not
catastrophic, but affect the accuracy of the assessments
which also use other sources of data. The more surveys are
missed, the more inaccurate the assessments become. The
accuracy of assessments affects the risk levels that have to
be considered is setting a Total Allowable Catch (TAC), so
that TACs have to be reduced if risks increase.
The horse mackerel survey would have been a new survey in
2012 that would have estimated the horse mackerel biomass in
order to determine if a higher Precautionary maximum Catch
Limit (PMCL) could be recommended.
The inactivity of the FRV Ellen Kuzwayo has not had a serious
effect, since come essential data on West and South Coast
Rock Lobster has been collected using other vessels. However,
some important information on the growth and migration has
been lost and the accuracy of assessments will also be
affected.
The current situation is the TAC will still be set to manage
all key stocks, and their accuracy will be enhanced as
surveys resume. The next survey commences on 23 October 2012.