Poachers leave South Africa's abalone fishing industry

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00:00 Barely 30 years ago, it was an emblem of South African marine life.

00:05 Today, the abalone, or pearl of moon, is an endangered species.

00:10 In the fishing village of Horsten, the disappearance of the sea creature is making itself felt.

00:16 Once abundant, the mollusk has drawn the envy of poachers who have taken almost everything.

00:21 Meanwhile, the fishermen have seen their activities drop drastically, forcing some to re-evaluate

00:27 their options.

00:28 "There's no other work in Horsten.

00:30 I would also take the wetsuit and go dive because I've got a family to feed, because

00:36 it's an easy way in, poaching.

00:39 It's all about putting bread on the table."

00:44 Initially, the South African government completely banned abalone fishing.

00:47 Today, strict quotas allow fisher and other small operators to harvest 120 kilograms a

00:53 year for an annual total of 100 metric tons.

00:57 Demand has given rise to an alternative source - farmed abalone.

01:01 However, they play no part in conserving the species.

01:04 "I don't want to stock the sea to create a bigger poach environment.

01:10 So if government can come up with a plan so we can protect what we put back, we'll be

01:17 in.

01:18 We'll give the abalone for free.

01:22 I don't want to start a vicious circle I put in, someone else takes out."

01:27 According to a report published in 2022 by the Global Initiative Against Transnational

01:32 Organized Crime, Hong Kong imports between 2,000 and 3,000 tons of illegal South African

01:37 abalone a year.

01:39 Some of this is shipped to other markets in China, Japan and Taiwan.

01:43 This illegal trade to Hong Kong generated more than a billion dollars between 2000 and

01:48 2016.

01:49 A figure that continues to grow.

01:51 [BLANK_AUDIO]

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