Local concerns
South African fish stocks have also endured their share of abuse and exploitation over the past century. The most valuable local resource is hake, which consists of two species, the deep-water (Merluccius paradoxus) and shallow-water hake (Merluccius capensis). Both the hake fishery and the one for small pelagic fish (sardines and anchovies) have experienced dramatic collapses and recoveries over the years. Some fishing sectors, however, are considered to be in a state of crisis.
The South African abalone or perlemoen (Haliotis midae) fishery is one such example. This once valuable resource has suffered at the hand of unregulated and illegal fishing (or poaching) to the point of an almost complete collapse. This legal fishery was closed completely in early 2008. Another fishery that is considered to be in a state of crisis is the traditional line fishery.
Linefish
'Linefish' are amongst some of the most sought after fish species on the local market. These are fish that are traditionally caught using a hook and line from beaches and boats for recreational purposes, or by commercial fishers from linefish boats (ski-boats). Linefish include many household names such as steenbras, seventy-four, musselcracker, snoek and yellowtail.
Many linefish species are over-exploited or have been fished out to the point of collapse due in part to historic over-fishing by foreign trawling fleets on the Agulhas Bank during the 1970s. In addition, until 1985 the fishery was oversubscibed and consisted of many participants with no catch restrictions. Many of the species targeted in this fishery are biologically vulnerable to exploitation as they are resident reef-dwellers with life-history traits such as sex-changes, slow growth and late reproductive maturity.
In December 2000 the linefishery was declared to be in a state of crisis. Following this, processes were introduced to reduce catch efforts giving over-exploited species the chance to recover. There are currently 450 traditional linefish rights holders, the majority of which are based in the Western Cape. Recreational anglers also target linefish from boast and from the shore.