Find Fisheries expertise in South Africa

While the sum of agriculture, forestry and fisheries contribute 3% to South Africa’s GDP, fisheries alone contributes about 0.5% (2008). The vast majority of what constitutes the South African fishing sector is offshore of the coastline which stretches over 3600km through two fairly different ecosystems; the west coast characterised by highly productive fisheries and the east coast by lower productivity, but a higher diversity of species. This extensive coastline and rich fishing waters creates nearly 17,000 primary sector jobs and 11,000 secondary sector jobs.

The main exports include fish fillets and lobster products but also crustaceans, tuna, skipjack, bonito, mackerel and octopus. Europe (and most notably Spain) is South Africa’s leading market for exported fisheries products. Other countries include the United States, Australia, China, Hong Kong and Japan with recent increases in exports to South East Asia.

Aquaculture in South Africa is largely marine based (mariculture). Recreational exploitation of freshwater fish on inland rivers and impoundments are fairly extensive, with small subsistence fisheries in places, but these do not account for any significant contribution to job creation or the GDP. Mariculture operations include the production of abalone, black mussel, oyster, prawn, finfish and seaweed with abalone the most important of these in terms of volume and employment. This is a fast developing sector and it is estimated that South Africa supplies 21% of the global market for farmed abalone.

The catch profile of offshore fisheries is largely hake, anchovy and sardine, mackerel, tuna and Patagonian tooth fish, shrimp and lobster. Hake is the most valuable South African fish, contributing approximately 50% of the value of fishery production. On the other hand,  small pelagic is the largest fishery in terms of the total volume caught, the catch profile mainly sardine, anchovy, round herring, and horse mackerel.

Fisheries organisations in South Africa
Adrenalin Importers & Distributors
Bigfoot Charters CC
Blue Atlantic Trading
Bouwer Broers Fietswinkel (EDMS) BPK
Chapmans Peak Fisheries
Eyethu Fishing (PTY) LTD
Ichtus Fisheries Wholesalers (Gans Bay)
Midas (Wierda Park)
Outdoorsman Benoni
Rio D'Ouro Fisheries
Solly's Anglers Corner
The Fish King
The Fishing Specialist
The Mediterrean
Wildfly
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