REGULATIONS IN TERMS OF THE MARINE LIVING RESOURCES ACT, 1998

The Regulations in terms of the Marine Living Resources Act, 1998, establish a comprehensive legal framework for the management, conservation, and exploitation of marine living resources in South African waters. The document details administrative procedures, gear restrictions, species-specific limits, mariculture standards, and compliance monitoring systems to ensure sustainable fisheries management.

• The regulations establish a Consultative Advisory Forum for Marine Living Resources, which is required to meet at least once every six months and operates primarily by consensus.
• Strict gear restrictions are imposed to prevent overfishing and protect habitats, including prohibitions on certain net types and specific mesh size requirements. For example, bottom and midwater trawl nets must generally have a mesh size of at least 75 mm, increasing to 110 mm in areas west of longitude 20 degrees east.
• The document defines specific closed seasons for various species to protect them during vulnerable periods, such as the Elf (shad) from 1 September to 30 November and the Galjoen from 15 October to the last day of February.
• Detailed restrictions are placed on the harvesting of rock lobsters, including minimum size limits for the carapace and tail. For commercial West Coast rock lobster, the carapace must be at least 75 mm and the second tail segment at least 19 mm.
• Mariculture operations are subject to rigorous permitting and environmental oversight. Applicants must provide scientific names of species, origin of stock, and methods for mitigating environmental impacts. The Minister may require an environmental impact assessment if activities are believed to have a detrimental impact on the environment.
• Compliance is monitored through several mechanisms, including the mandatory use of automated satellite-linked vessel monitoring systems (VMS) for all foreign fishing vessels and the requirement for commercial vessels to maintain bound fishing and landing logbooks.
• The regulations prohibit the discharge of most waste from fishing vessels at sea, requiring that all waste, including unused bait and fish processing waste, be taken back to port, with the exception of biodegradable household waste.
• Specific prohibitions are listed for deepwater species, which cannot be fished, collected, landed, or sold without a permit. These include the Patagonian Toothfish, Orange Roughy, and Wreckfish.

APA

Centre for Environmental Rights (1998). REGULATIONS IN TERMS OF THE MARINE LIVING RESOURCES ACT, 1998. https://cer.org.za/wp-content/uploads/1998/09/MLRA-Regulations.pdf?x21779

Chicago

Centre for Environmental Rights. REGULATIONS IN TERMS OF THE MARINE LIVING RESOURCES ACT, 1998. 1998. https://cer.org.za/wp-content/uploads/1998/09/MLRA-Regulations.pdf?x21779.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Centre for Environmental Rights |title=REGULATIONS IN TERMS OF THE MARINE LIVING RESOURCES ACT, 1998 |date=2 September 1998 |url=https://cer.org.za/wp-content/uploads/1998/09/MLRA-Regulations.pdf?x21779 |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{centreforenvironmentalrights1998regulations, author = {{Centre for Environmental Rights}}, title = {{REGULATIONS IN TERMS OF THE MARINE LIVING RESOURCES ACT, 1998}}, institution = {Centre for Environmental Rights}, year = {1998}, month = sep, url = {https://cer.org.za/wp-content/uploads/1998/09/MLRA-Regulations.pdf?x21779}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }