The City of Cape Town is calling on the National Minister of Environment,
Forestry and Fisheries to place a moratorium on the Exploratory Octopus
Permit until such time as a sustainable solution is introduced. Read more
below:
City officials from the Environmental Management Department’s Coastal
Management Branch were alerted late yesterday evening that a young humpback
whale carcass was floating about 500m off Sunny Cove, in False Bay.
The team launched at first light this morning, 27 June 2019, to retrieve
the carcass before it stranded on one of the city’s beaches. On arrival,
the officials were able to determine that the humpback was entangled in an
octopus fishery line and had drowned.
The carcass was cut free and towed to the Miller’s Point slipway for
removal to a landfill site by the City’s Solid Waste Department, as
determined by City protocol. The octopus fishing boat assisted with the
towing of the carcass.
‘This is the third entanglement and second fatality of whales as a result
of the octopus fishery in the last two weeks. All of these entanglements
have occurred within the designated Marine Protected Area surrounding our
shores. We are aware that livelihoods and jobs depend on the octopus
fishing industry, however, we have to insist on sustainable practices. We
cannot allow a situation where whales continue to die, because of these
nets,’ said the City’s Mayoral Committee Member for Spatial Planning and
Environment, Alderman Marian Nieuwoudt.
Approximately 17 years ago the former Department of Agriculture, Forestry,
and Fisheries (DAFF) issued the Exploratory Octopus Permit. The City was
not consulted before request was ignored.
In 2017, at a working group meeting following the drowning of a Bryde’s
whale, the City requested the then DAFF to set limits as part of the
conditions of the permit. This request was ignored.
The fishery has been using an Exploratory Fishing Permit for longer than 17
years now.
‘We argue that the National Department should, after nearly two decades, be
able to fully comprehend the impact and risks associated with the
exploratory fishing. Clearly, there is an urgent need to design fishing
gear that would not lead to the drowning of whales.
‘I was told by officials that the whales swim into the long ropes, and that
they get a fright when this happens. They then roll over and get entangled,
and eventually drown because the fishing gear is too heavy for them to
reach the surface. Thus, we want to see the fishery suspended until the
method of fishing is changed to a sustainable practice that will prevent
bycatch.
‘I am very worried about the impact this is having on our marine life and
ecosystem, and the ethics of the octopus fishing practice in general. I
thus request the new Minister Barbara Creecy to place a moratorium on this
permit and that all fishing gear be removed from False Bay until such time
as the fishing gear and equipment are redesigned, tested, and proven not to
pose a threat to our marine life,’ said Alderman Nieuwoudt.
The City is also requesting Minister Creecy to consider providing the
existing octopus fishing permit holder al alternative fishing option to
ensure that those employed by the fishery will still be able to earn a
living.
The removal of whale carcasses places a huge financial burden on the City’s
coffers.
‘We are now considering invoicing the fishing company or the National
Government for the removal cost and disposal. The cost to remove and
dispose of one whale carcass amounts to between R50 000 and R150 000,
depending on the weather conditions and the location of the carcass. We
cannot expect ratepayers to keep on subsidising the bycatch of whales,’