Lately I have been inundated with comrades
calling me as if they have struck that rich vein of gold at the end of the rainbow
tuna tail. With excitement in their voices their tone exudes arrogance but yet I
can’t help and feel sorry for them. Like most whose dreams didn't materialize
of striking it rich in the 1848 California gold rush, they too were lured
somehow with promises of wealth and success. So my comrades with glee in their
eyes excitedly explain that they can catch tuna. “Wow I reply that’s incredible!
And how do you intend catching it all the way from Soweto?” So here is where
the whole “paper quota holder” comes into the picture. These comrades have been
granted tuna pole rights but with no vessel, no investment within the industry
and more importantly, no knowledge of this game what so ever. Once I have
corrected them in saying that entire fleet already have rights activated and
that their license fee is absurd, their tone changes very quickly. “But you don’t
understand.” they reply… upon which I simply give up and explain that they are
too late and have literally missed the boat as all have rights activated
already, all be it not their own.
With the whole fleet by now having successfully
having paired up with their choms from Soweto, Langa and the likes in order to
utilize their paper quotas, the fleet has resumed “normal” fishing operations
whilst they await the outcome of their FRAP 2013 appeals.
So Desmond, I wonder how a guy in Soweto is
going to effectively utilize and create food security with a 16 man right in a
landlocked city? Maybe they can go paddle around the mine dump waste water and look for their "gold"? Meanwhile, the actual fishermen and their livelihoods
and futures are spun out of control by the spin drift that is DAFF.
On a
lighter line, we have to date managed to export in excess of 1500 tons of albacore
and with the historical seasonal patterns resuming, we now have been landing
excellent quantities of yellow fin. With the latter price currently being
higher than the albacore, the vessel owners can enjoy a slightly higher return.
We haven’t seen yellow fin in this quantity prior 2009 if I recall correctly.
This will bode well for the 45ft slurry vessels (“Tupperware” as they are affectionately
referred to by the Portuguese) that will be able to effectively target this
species for the sashimi markets which we air freight to destinations such as
Japan, USA and Spain, to name a few.
In Namibia we have experienced good albacore catches
for the handful of live bait freezer vessels who have managed to land some 250+
tons each for the season so far. Their season will run until the end of April
with these same vessels catches exceeding 400 tons each. In the interim, the
vessels fishing in SA waters will continue to pursue that illusive water
conditions that will allow for good tuna catches. With the fresh yellow fin
market being flooded (some 2000 individual yellow fin have been landed since
Friday last week) the vessels would do well to target the albacore for fresh
exports. Frozen yellow fin will also fetch a rand or two above the albacore
price so even gilling and gutting the yellow fin for the freezer is a good
viable option. As an exporter, our main reasons for not exporting more volumes of
yellow fin to the sashimi markets is two folded namely; the size of this yellow
fin is too small and falls under the minimum weight acceptable by customers and
also the colour. We are seeing inconsistency of colour throughout the loin and
a very light translucent fleshy colour. The fat content of this yellow fin is
also low which would suggest that they have traveled some distance and not
residing in an area allowing enough time to feed and accumulate their required
fat. Literally we are landing rats and as such have to be frozen to -20°C for
the canning industry.
On a
side note, I believe that Chris Pike has landed some good catches of Striped
Marlin on the Struisbaai banks!
So far this season has allowed a much needed
financial relief for the boat owners who will be able to clear themselves out
of the red for the first time in about 2 years. So, true to our industry its
either feast or famine. Long may this feast continue comrade?
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