Hake Fisheries - Handline

The hake handline fishery developed along the southern Cape coast where, in the late 1980's, traditional linefishers began targeting hake as demand for prime quality ("PQ") hake increased on the international market.

Originally, hake handline fishers used deck boats that were capable of fishing overnight. As the fishery grew, some fishers started using skiboats, which can stay out at sea overnight, and can be winched up onto a trailer and be driven to areas closest to where the hakes are located. The deck boats were harbour bound. This introduction of skiboats significantly increased effort in the hake handline fishery, particularly as use of these vessels allows hake handliners to follow the hake along the South African coastline.

During the 1980's and 1990's the fishery was not properly regulated or managed. The lack of a regulatory framework, coupled with increased demand for PQ hake in the late 1990's, resulted in a number of persons, including recreational and commercial fishers operating in other fisheries, entering this fishery to take advantage of the high prices and catches rapidly escalated. During the late 1980's hake handline catches were estimated to be approximately 150 tons. By the 1990's this had increased to between 1 100 tons and 1 400 tons annually. By the year 2000, approximately 5000 tons were landed with catches peaking at an estimated 7300 tons in 2001.

In December 2000, the Minister announced a biological emergency in the traditional linefish fishery. The Minister also decided to split the management of the handline fisheries into three separate fisheries - the tuna pole, the hake handline and the traditional linefish fisheries. In that year, the Minister set a total applied effort ("TAE") for the fishery for the first time in the hake handline fishery. The TAE limited the number of crew and vessels that could target hake using a handline to 130 vessels and 785 crew. In addition, a precautionary maximum catch limit ("PMCL") of 5500 tons is set aside under the global hake total allowable catch.

South Africa manages the hake handline fishery as part of a "hake" collective. In terms of the MLRA, a "global" total allowable catch ("TAC") for hake is set annually by the Minister of Environmental Affairs and Tourism. The hake handline and longline fisheries share 10 percent of the global TAC. The hake deep sea trawl fishery is allocated 83 percent of the TAC and the balance is fished by the hake inshore trawl fishery.

The hake handline fishery operates out of small fishing harbours and slipways along the southern Cape and Eastern Cape coasts, as far north as Port Alfred. The handline fishery, like the hake long line fishery, lands PQ hake for export to Europe. The fishery operates in inshore waters targeting shallow water hake, Merluccius capensis.

Hake stocks are currently managed in terms of a recovery strategy and the TAC for hake has been reduced each year since 2003. Current catch rates of shallow water hake are unsustainable.

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Sector Challenges: Feike will provide this analysis once rights are allocated, which are anticipated in January 2006.

Sector Opportunities: Feike will provide this analysis once rights are allocated, which are anticipated in January 2006.