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Article: Shutdown on the cards to save perlemoen; Collapse looms - Van Schalkwyk.(News)
- Article from:
- Cape Argus (South Africa)
- Article date:
- June 6, 2007
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2007 Independent News & Media PLC. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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By JOHN YELD
Environment & Science Writer
South Africa's commercial perlemoen industry, devastated by nearly two decades of large-scale poaching, could be closed for 10 years from the end of this year to allow it to recover, Environmental Affairs and Tourism Minister Marthinus van Schalkwyk has warned.
In his budget speech in Parliament yesterday - appropriately World Environment Day - Van Schalkwyk said the perlemoen resource was "on the verge of collapse" with little prospect of recovery in the short term. Two of the four perlemoen harvesting zones have already been lost to the fishery through both poaching and changing ecosystem impacts.
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