AFTER 33 years as a commercial fisherman Alwyn Kotze is devastated and still coming to terms with the fact thathe may never be allowed to provide for his family by fishing again.
This comes after small- scale fishermen across the country - including hundreds in Port Elizabeth and other Eastern Cape harbours - discovered that their commercial fishing rights were revoked on December 31. They had applied to renew their licences for seven years.
While fishermen were awaiting their score sheets in order to appeal the decision to have their licences revoked, Kotze said it would still be a major blow to the industry as only 13 licences would be granted after the appeal process.
About 30 line-fishing boats in the region are affected, leading to a severe shortage of fresh line fish at the Port Elizabeth Harbour.
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