Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE) Minister Barbara Creecy says the department has fulfilled its commitment to finalise all Fishing Right Allocation Process 2020/2021 (FRAP 2021) appeals before the 2024 fishing season.

This after Creecy recently issued her decisions on appeals in relation to the Small Pelagic: Anchovy and Small Pelagic: Sardine sectors.

During February 2022, DFFE completed the FRAP 2021/22. The department received 169 appeals in the sardine sector and 230 appeals in the anchovy sector across various categories of applicants.

Those applicants who held rights in the fishery for which they were reapplying during the period 2006 to 2020 were considered as category A applicants.

Applicants who held rights in sectors other than the fishery they were applying for during the period 2006 to 2020 were considered as category B applicants.

Applicants who did not hold commercial fishing rights during the period 2006 to 2020 were considered as category C applicants.

According to the minister’s appeal decisions for the sardine sector, 11 additional category A appellants qualified on appeal to be awarded a right, and one category B appellant.

There were no category C applicants who qualified to be awarded a right on appeal.

For the anchovy sector, 14 additional category A appellants qualified on appeal to be awarded a right and only one additional category B appellant qualified to be awarded a right on appeal.

Creecy said: “In my consideration of the small pelagic appeals, the current low catches in both the sardine and anchovy sectors posed a challenge on the determination of how to distribute the resource, while ensuring stability in the sector and mitigating against any negative impacts such as job losses.

“I applied my discretion on the distribution of the resource in a manner that ensures sustainable development of the natural resource, while ensuring right holders are able to remain viable.

“This concludes my consideration of the 1 213 appeals that had been submitted across all 10 sectors in the fishing industry and across all category of applicants in relation to FRAP 2021.

“The department has fulfilled the commitment that it made to the industry, to finalise all the FRAP 2021 appeals, in an efficient and timely manner, before the commencement of the 2024 fishing season.”

Cape Times

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DFFE finalises sardine and anchovy fishing rights allocation process