fishing trawler with his tender boat on the hold of the port of Erquy in Brittany

Generic fishing trawler stock image via Adobe Stock

Six Chinese fishing trawlers fined after illegally entering SA waters

Once the fines had been paid, the six trawlers were released and monitored as they transited South African waters.

fishing trawler with his tender boat on the hold of the port of Erquy in Brittany

Generic fishing trawler stock image via Adobe Stock

Department of Environmental Affairs, Forestry and Fisheries confirmed that “six Chinese fishing trawlers were detained and issued with fines” after they had entered South African waters without the required permission.

Six vessels fined

The trawlers were detected off the east coast of South Africa as early as 3 April, after being ordered out of Namibian and Mozambican water by authorities.

According to the department, the Sarah Baartman fishery patrol vessel “intercepted the vessels off the Western Cape coast and ordered them to the outer anchorage of the Port of Cape Town”.

Following the interception of the vessels on 7 April, the Chinese Embassy submitted a Diplomatic Note requesting permission for the vessels to shelter in Cape Town from adverse weather conditions.

Vessels inspected by Phakisa Initiative 5

An integrated Operation Phakisa Initiative 5 team then boarded the vessels and performed a thorough inspection. However, no fish were found aboard.

In addition, the fishing gear stored on the six vessels were as stipulated by the Marine Living Resources Act. The only charge raised against the vessels were for entering SA water without permission.

Once the fines had been paid, the six trawlers were released and monitored as they transited South African waters. However, severe weather conditions delayed their departure.

Sheltering in Algoa Bay

Whilst off Port Elizabeth, the vessels requested permission to shelter in Algoa Bay from adverse weather conditions. The request was approved by the South African Maritime Safety Authority.

The vessels departed Algoa Bay 19 April when conditions cleared and sailed up the coast, subsequently leaving South African water the following morning. This didn’t stop netizens from raising their questions on Twitter. One asked:

“[Cyril Ramaphosa] why is our government colluding with China? Why are there Chinese trawlers plundering our Natal coast? What are the people of South Africa getting out of it?”

Comment on Twitter.

Another netizen wanted to know if President Cyril Ramaphosa has “sold (given?) the fishing rights to China in exchange for COVID-19 supplies” during the lockdown.

No evidence of illegal activity

During the COVID-19 lockdown period, integrated teams have been deployed under Operation Phakisa along the coast to support the national effort to protect our marine resources – on the coastline and at sea. As per the department’s notice:

“The team, which includes enforcement officials, is checking for infringements related to the Marine Living Resources Act, the Road Traffic Act, non-compliance with COVID-19 Disaster Management regulations and other criminal activity in general.” 

Members of the public are encouraged to contact the environmental crimes and incidents 24-hour hotline on 0800 205 005 to report any illegal environmental activities, including suspicious activity along the coastline.