Abalone poaching, methamphetamine use, criminal activity in South Africa and the associated implications for resource management Draft (original) (raw)

The illegal exploitation of abalone in South Africa has been escalating since the early 1990s. The South African government issued a ban on all wild abalone fishing in South Africa, effective 1 February 2008. This study explores the relationship between abalone poaching, use of the methamphetamine drug, criminal activity in the coastal communities of South Africa, and the associated implications for the management of the abalone resource. The study formulates a model which is used to identify and appraise the likely effects of various policy instruments in curbing abalone poaching. Like many other studies, this paper also suggests increases in anti-poaching enforcement and fines as one way to curb illegal harvesting. However, the paper also argues for more measures to curb illegal abalone harvesting in the South African context. The paper puts forward the role of drugs, general corruption, the prevalence of bribery, and the high-value of the abalone as possible explanations as to wh...