People, purses and power: developing fisheries policy for the new South Africa

At present, arising in part from the former policy of apartheid, many of the major fisheries in South Africa are in the hands of a limited number of quota holders, dominated by the white sector of the population. Several of the major stocks are either in a productive state or are recovering, under biologically conservative management, from earlier depletions. At the same time, with the democratization of South Africa, the current access rights system is being challenged by many who had previously been excluded from access. The policy makers are faced with the task of introducing a fair, equitable and widely accepted system of user rights to a mature fishery, while taking cognizance of the important social and economic role of the existing industry and without overexploiting the marine resources.