Ocean Outcomes: An Assessment

Ocean Outcomes conducted an independent environmental assessment of the traditional commercial line fishery that focuses on giant yellowtail in Struisbaai, South Africa.

Strengths and Weaknesses

Their assessment concluded that the stock status of some targeted species, like yellowtail and carpenter, was deemed healthy. However, they also noted that this multi-specific fishery also captured species with overfished status, such as red stumpnose.

One notable strength of this fishery highlighted was the minimal habitat impact resulting from the gear used, predominantly handlines with some rod and reel equipment. Additionally, data collected through the ABALOBI app provided a strong foundation for evaluating Unit of Assessment impacts on the ecosystem.

However, weaknesses identified included the absence of information collection on incidental encounters of endangered, threatened, and protected species, and the lack of a coordinated and robust harvest strategy across all line fishery sectors, particularly in the recreational sector.

These findings were presented to the Struisbaai community at a virtual workshop on 4 November 2020.