West Coast fishermen want rights reworked

PATERNOSTER - West Coast communities want a task team established to resolve their grievances over fishing rights.

Government last month allocated 15-year rights to 62 small-scale fishing cooperatives in the Western Cape.

Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment Minister, Barbara Creecy, has now mandated the department’s Consultative Advisory Forum to advise her on additional support to the small-scale fishing sector.

The Western Cape’s 62 small-scale fishing cooperatives consist of 3,850 declared fishers.

Of this number, 140 fishermen and - women belong to the Paternoster Multipurpose Fishing Cooperatives.