Hon Chairperson, hon Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, all stakeholders of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries and all members gathered here, in the 2010 Budget Vote debate the Minister announced that a number of community-based, socially empowering strategies would be implemented for the fisheries sector to achieve the developmental objectives and growth path of the state.
Amongst other things, she announced that these strategies would include a thorough review of all fishing rights allocation policies and allocations, all harbour-related leases and developments, and all legislation related to fisheries, aquaculture and coastal management.
This was intended to ensure that the patient aspirations of the thousands of fisherfolk from our coastal fishing communities, who remain trapped in abject poverty, would be appropriately considered and accommodated within the mainstream economy of our multibillion-rand-per-annum fishing industry.
In her 2010 Budget Vote speech, our Minister, Ms Tina Joemat-Pettersson, expressly indicated, and I quote: