An assessment of the current status of the chokka squid fishery in South Africa and an evaluation of alternative allocation strategies

The South African squid fishery is based on a single species, Loligo reynaudi, locally referred to as chokka and commonly found around the Agulhas Bank and West Coast shelf of South Africa. The existing long term rights for participation in the fishery expire at the end of 2013 and a new set of rights will have to be issued. Progress made to date in achieving the objectives of the South African Marine Living Resources Act of 1998 (MLRA), including progress towards greater equity, will be an important consideration in allocation decisions. The draft Small-Scale Fisheries Policy, scheduled to be adopted in 2013, could also influence the criteria to be used. This study updates the information on the current structure and functioning of the squid jig sector and considers the likely performance of two alternative access allocation scenarios against the current and evolving policy goals. The study reaffirms that the squid fishery is an important contributor to human well-being in South Africa and particularly in the Eastern Cape Province but there is scope for improvement in the extent of transformation and equity. The study concludes that, as a result of a common lack of experience and capital amongst potential new entrants, the risks associated with transformation in this fishery are likely to be high, especially if the option of allocating rights to community-based legal entities was to be used. The risks could be reduced by ensuring that a number of pre-conditions were met. These include, amongst others, not allowing total effort in the fishery to increase; ensuring effective management by the responsible government authorities; adequate capacity building of new entrants, whether individuals or cooperatives; and ensuring new entrants have viable business plans.