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solonavi 7 November 2007 Endangered & Extinction 81 views No Comment Print This Post  Email This Post

iol

The debate on the future of the perlemoen industry does not adequately reflect that this popular marine species is in crisis and is facing imminent extinction, a coalition of leading local environmental groups has warned.

If perlemoen becomes extinct, affected fishing communities will lose a source of income forever, they have emphasised.

But one of South Africa’s top marine biologists has expressed a less pessimistic view, saying the fact that poachers were able to remove such huge amounts of perlemoen meant the population of this shellfish must have been more robust than previously thought.

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“We also recognise that preventing the extinction of this species will not be achieved as a result of the ban alone. A comprehensive strategy focused on tightening customs and trade controls, law enforcement and improving compliance towards sustainable harvesting, is essential.”

But the groups said that “no-where” in the recent debates about perlemoen had adequate attention been paid to the fact that this endemic species meaning it occurs naturally only here and nowhere else in the world – was “in crisis and facing imminent extinction”.

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Eminent marine biologist Professor George Branch of UCT’s zoology department said he did not believe perlemoen would become extinct, although he distinguished between literal extinction of the species and commercial extinction, which was when it became commercially unviable to harvest.

Branch said he believed Van Schalkwyk had been wrong to have instituted the ban on perlemoen fishing, but had then made a second mistake by changing his decision again to allow a further three months’ fishing until February.

He said: “If you cannot control the poaching, then why penalise the very people who could benefit quite legally?”

Rescinding the ban had been a second mistake as this could encourage poaching and “there are going to be people who will take the opportunity to get in quickly and take what they can, while they can”.