Publication

This paper examines redistributive processes in the hake deep-sea trawl (HDST) industry in South Africa. It provides a historical analysis of the principles, narratives and management systems that have been used to identify certain groups as "legitimate fishers" since the late 19th century. The authors use the historic examples in order to achieve a nuanced understanding of the first allocation of long-term fishing rights that took place in South Africa in early 2006. The paper concludes that Black Economic Empowerment (BEE), despite its formal intentions, is particularly conducive to the interests of large-scale South African businesses for which investment in fishing is only one of many commercial activities.