Applications for abalone ranching open
New abalone concession area open for applications
SOUTH AFRICA: The South African government has recognised a new abalone ranching concession area along the Western Cape coast near Papendorp, opening the site to commercial applications for the first time.
The announcement, published in the Government Gazette on last week, was made by Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment Willem Aucamp under the Marine Living Resources Act of 1998. The newly recognised zone extends from a point south of the MSR Tormin mine to a point approximately 17 kilometres north-west of Strandfontein, situated north-west of Doring Bay.
The department first received an application to explore the site as a ranching pilot project in April 2024, after which it commissioned an Environmental Risk Assessment, submitted in September of that year. The area falls outside the three original abalone ranching concession areas identified in the Western Cape in 2012 and also beyond the Doring Bay area designated in 2022.
Although a public consultation period was initiated in February last year, no public comments were received during the 30-day window.
Interested parties now have 30 days from the date of publication to submit formal applications at a cost of R9,302.00 for the single right the department intends to allocate. Successful applications will be granted rights to operate the site as a pilot project.
The process runs in two phases. In the first, submissions are screened against exclusionary criteria before qualifying applicants are invited to submit a full proposal in the second phase, where applications are assessed against balancing criteria. The governing criteria and guidelines were originally published in 2010 and 2011 and remain available on the department's website.
The application fee must be paid to the Marine Living Resources Fund at First National Bank before lodgement. Proof of payment must accompany each application, and fees are non-refundable. Applications submitted without proof of payment will not be considered.
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