The big news affecting the marine industry this week related to the MSC certification. Amid concerns that certification from the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) would be lost, negotiations between the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries and the MSC seemed to have been resolved – at least for the following year – ensuring South African fishing companies a place in the lucrative European hake trawl fishing market. This was confirmed in a statement by both the government and the council’s programme manager, Martin Purves and reported widely in the media this week.

Shaheen Moolla, chief executive of Feike, however regards the development as merely “a band-aid over a festering wound.” It would appear that there is still a lot of work and negotiation to be done to ensure a positive and permanent resolution to this ongoing situation – and no doubt this particular issue will continue to make news in the months to come.