Thesis (MSc(Agric))--University of Stellenbosch, 2004. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The pnmary alm of this study was to investigate the national competitive advantage of the South African abalone industry. A further aim was therefore to investigate the environment, in which the South-African abalone industry operates. Secondary aims included presenting a detailed description of the roleplayers in the South African abalone industry, and considering whether the South African abalone industry can be made more competitive and, if so, how this can be achieved. The achievement of these aims required a framework to establish which data is necessary for the task. The framework selected involved a combination of Porter's Five Forces analysis and Diamond Model. The study suggests that South African abalone firms should promote South African abalone more actively, invest more funds in human resources, and that the industry's faith in government needs to be restored, which can be achieved by improving the services offered by public institutions like the South African Bureau of Standards (SABS), the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) and Marine and Coastal Management (M&CM). / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die doel met die studie was om die nasionale kompeterende voordeel van die Suid Afrikaanse perlemoen industrie te ondersoek. Om dit te bereik, moes die omgewing waarin die industrie fuksioneer ontleed en die rolspelers in die industrie deeglik beskryf word. 'n Verdere doel was om te bepaal of dit moontlik is om die kompeterendheid van die industrie te verhoog, en indien wel, hoe dit bereik kan word. Die raamwerk wat gekies is om die doelstellings te bereik bestaan uit 'n kombinasie van Porter se "Five Farces" analise en "Diamond Model". Die resultate dui aan dat die industrie Suid-Afrikaanse perlemoen meer aktief moet bekendstel, individuele ondernemings meer in hul menslike hulpbronne moet investeer, en dat die industrie se vertroue in die nasionale regering herstel moet word, deur die dienste te verbeter wat deur publieke instellings soos die Suid-Afrikaanse Buro van Stanaarde (SABS), Departement Handel en Nywerheid en Mariene- en Kusbestuur verskaf word.

The largest abalone in South Africa, the perlemoen, Haliotis midae, occurs along approximately two-thirds of the country's coastline, but has only been the target of an extensive commercial fishery in the south-western part of South Africa. Large-scale illegal fishing has however proliferated throughout its entire range over the last 10–15 years, which has had serious effects on stock abundance and once productive populations are facing economic collapse. Abalone stock enhancement has been put forward as an addition or alternative to traditional fisheries management practices, which can potentially rehabilitate overfished abalone populations and enhance natural production. The aim of this project was to investigate the potential of abalone stock enhancement for managing an area in the Eastern Cape Province, which was being subjected to intense illegal fishing pressure. A research approach was adopted to investigate the scale and effects of this poaching and to investigate the survival of artificially cultured abalone seed in the natural environment. A model of a commercial-scale ranching operation was investigated to assess the economic feasibility of such a scheme. Analysis of poaching cases and research samples from Cape Recife indicated high levels of fishing effort that appeared to be causing the observed declines in emergent abalone abundance and average size. Poaching cases from Cape Recife contributed 32% of the total number of cases of known origin in the Eastern Cape Province from 1998–2002, with the majority of the cases (82%) originating from within the Port Elizabeth metropole. There was an exponential increase in the number of poaching cases in the Eastern Cape Province (r²=0.967) and Port Elizabeth over this period but actual annual total catch stabilized, particularly at Cape Recife, where estimates of CPUE declined significantly from 2000–2002 (p<0.001). The annual proportion of emergent abalone under the MLS from Cape Recife was always >85% in confiscations and research collections, and did not change significantly over the period of examination. Comparison of illegal catches with an adjacent site indicated that the emergent abalone population at Cape Recife had a significantly higher proportion of undersized emergent animals (p<0.001) and they were significantly smaller than the abalone from the closest site, Noordhoek, and other areas in Port Elizabeth from 2000–2002 (p<0.001). The apparent declines in emergent abalone abundance indicated by the poaching data were corroborated by sampling of emergent abalone abundance at Cape Recife. Numbers of abalone declined significantly from 125.6 to 53.8 per 20min count (p<0.001), from April 1998–October 2001 and density declined from 1.3 to 0.8m⁻² over a similar period (p<0.001). Juvenile density did not change over this period, although there were significant differences in density observed between two different habitats (p<0.001). Initial releases of cultured juvenile abalone showed that they could be distinguished from their wild counterparts for at least a year after release, by their different shell colouration. Short-term, small-scale trials (7–10 days) using animals between 17 and 30mm SL had mean survival rates of 64–82% (mean 70.4%) and the effect of size on survival was not significant in most cases, although the power to detect differences was low. Attempts to measure the effect of habitat on survival were not conclusive, although refuges under sea urchins appeared to be favoured by both seed and wild abalone, although urchins were not an absolute requirement for survival. Similar medium-term trials (31–74 days) in sheltered sites yielded mean returns of 53.1% using 25mm SL animals and similar trials in a more exposed area had more variable survival rates of between 18.4 and 73.6%, after 25–27 days. A comparison between careful hand-seeding and surface-scattering seed release methods in the open-ocean habitat showed no significant differences in survival rate after 41 days. Larger seed survived significantly better than the smaller seed when scattered on the surface (p<0.0001) and the smaller seed survived significantly better when seeded carefully by hand onto the substrate (p<0.028). Further medium-term releases of large numbers of seed abalone, released using the surface-scattering method in open-ocean habitat, gave mean survival rates of 32.8% over periods of 83–114 days. Assessment of a seeding trial using release modules to seed juvenile animals in the open-ocean was hampered by poor sea conditions and difficult to search substrates, and a mean recovery rate of 3.1% was obtained for the sites that were sampled. Movement of seed was low in the more sheltered sites, and also appeared to be affected by the amount of available habitat. Growth of seed was measured using changes in shell colouration and there were significant differences between areas. An average growth of 1.6mm.month⁻¹ shell length was calculated for all areas. The potential for commercial scale abalone ranching to be used to enhance a territorial user right fishery was investigated using a model of economic feasibility. Internal rates of return of 30.3 and 36.9% were obtained from two harvest regimes using different harvest sizes. There was a high degree of risk associated with these figures owing to a lack of consistent seed survival rate estimates, and the input parameters, which are subject to variation, showed a significant effect on profitability. The operation of this type of ranching scheme is probably not economically feasible as a stand-alone operation but could probably be operated effectively in conjunction with an existing abalone farm. By adding a small wild catch component the profitability of a ranching scheme could be significantly improved. The results of the present study indicate that high levels of poaching at Cape Recife have led to declines in emergent abalone abundance, which will probably lead to stock collapse in the near future. This implies that fisheries managers have failed to fulfil the provisions of fisheries policy in South Africa. The present results from seeding trials show that cultured juveniles can survive and make a contribution to overall stock abundance. Furthermore, while there are obstacles to economic feasibility, commercial ranching has the potential to be a valuable addition to current abalone management strategy.

Thesis (MBA)--Stellenbosch University, 1998. / ENGLISH ABASTRACT: The techniques for animal reproduction and husbandry for both abalone and sea turtle farming have been well established and researched over the last decade. Although market related data seems to be scarce, marketing analysis reviewed and conducted as part of this study suggests that extensive markets exist for live cocktail size abalone and sea turtle products, especially in the East Asian countries. A decline in natural resources and increased demand resulted in a fast expanding niche market for these products. This study shows that development of an abalone farm in South Africa for the production of cocktail size (±80 mm; ±100 g) is a highly profitable venture. Economic feasibility analysis indicated that the development of an abalone farm capable of producing 150 tons annually should result in a rate of return in excess of 50% over a seven-year investment period. On the other hand, sea turtle farming is a less profitable investment with Green turtle farming yielding a return of approximately 25% and Hawksbill farming yielding a return closer to 30% over a seven-year investment period. According to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), all sea turtle species have been listed as endangered or threatened. Currently all countries who are members of CITES are prohibited from international trade in sea turtles or sea turtle products. Prospective entrepreneurs wishing to establish a sea turtle farming venture have to adhere to stringent regulatory and control measures, a major obstacle in the development of a profitable enterprise. Both abalone and sea turtle farming have long payback periods, due to the slow growth-rates of the investigated species. In order to produce animals in a time frame that is economically viable, artificially formulated feeds have to be used. The usage of artificially formulated feeds proved to be a major expense, especially in the case of sea turtle farming. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die tegnieke vir die reproduksie, onderhoud en groei van beide perlemoen en seeskilpad akwakultuur boerderye is goed gevestig en nagevors oor die afgelope dekade. Alhoewel mark verwante data skaars is, dui bemarking analises aan dat 'n enorme mark bestaan vir lewendige "cocktail" grootte perlemoen en seeskilpadprodukte, veral in Oos Asie. 'n Afname in natuurlike hulpbronne en 'n toename in aanvraag, het 'n vinnige "nis" mark vir die produkte tot gevolg gehad. Die ontwikkeling van 'n perlemoen boerdery vir die produksie van "cocktail" grootte (±80 mm; ±100 g) perlemoen kom voor as 'n hoogs winsgewende onderneming. 'n Ekonomiese winsgewindheidsanalise het getoon dat die ontwikkeling van 'n perlemoenplaas, met 'n produksie van sowat 150 ton perlemoen jaarliks, 'n opbrengs van oor die 50% oor 'n sewe jaar investeringsperiode teweeg sal bring. Seeskilpad boerdery, aan die ander kant, kom as 'n minder winsgewende belegging voor, waar Groen seeskilpad boerdery 'n opbrengs van ongeveer 25% en Hawksbill boerdery 'n opbrengs van min of meer 30% oor 'n sewe jaar beleggings periode toon. Volgens CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora) is alle seeskilpaaie gelys as bedreig. Alle lande wat huidiglik lede is van CITES, word van die reg voorbehou om internasionale handel te dryf in seeskilpaaie of seeskilpadprodulcte. Voorgenome entrepeneurs met die begeerte om 'n seeskilpadboerdery te begin, sal voor streng maatreels en beheer- maatstawwe te staan kom, wat 'n groot stuikelblok is in die ontwikkeling van 'n winsgewende seeskilpadplaas. Beide perlemoen- en seeskilpadboerderye het lang terugbetalingsperiodes, 'n waameming wat verduidelik kan word aan hand van die stadige groei-tempo's van die bestudeerde spesies. In orde om diere in 'n spesifieke tydsperiode te produseer wat ekonomies winsgewend is, moet daar van artifisieel geformuleerde voeding gebruik gemaak word. Die gebruik van geformuleerde voeding. is egter duur, veral in die geval van seeskilpadboerderye.