The NDP emphasises the need to find viable ways of bringing greater benefit to our traditional artisanal fishers, whose development the National Development Plan recognises is clearly far from adequate or viable.
The NDP, in fact, challenges us to develop strategies for economic co- operation or association that give poor producers greater collective market power in value chains; create synergies and access to information, allowing them to achieve the minimum supply volumes required for participation; and allow them to negotiate improved levels of market access and/or better terms of participation. Under the revised Fishing Rights Allocations Policy we now work to collectively ensure, via direct external and indirect internal transformation, that 70% of the access to our national living marine resource base is allocated to the previously historically disadvantaged.
We are also working to ensure active rural inland and coastal community- based participation in our developing the aquaculture and fish-farming sectors, as well as community-based participation in development of our 12 nationally proclaimed fishing harbours. The Free State has shown us an example with the Lake Gariep Fisheries Research Project of fishing. [Interjections.] It is going on in the Free State. You are so jealous of the progress of the ANC government. [Applause.]
Insofar as nearshore resources are concerned, it is our ultimate objective to ensure that the ownership of all access to nearshore fishing resources for abalone, alikreukel, periwinkle, black and white mussels, oysters, and traditional line and treknet fish species, squid, all west and east coast rock lobster, octopus, sand and mud prawn, crab, limpet, red bait and any other fishing resource or right associated with the nearshore resources or the future development of any aquaculture or fish farming initiatives for any resource in the nearshore is vested exclusively for the direct benefit of small-scale fishers, because for the whole 50 years there were no small- scale fishers. [Interjections.] What are you talking about, hon Van Dalen. In your government's time there was no small-scale fishing. How can you now be sensitive to small-scale fishers and upcoming fishers? How comfortable you are now. [Interjections.]