Fishermen throw snoek onto the quay at Kalk Bay harbour in Cape Town, South Africa, Wednesday, 24 August 2005. EPA

Permit conditions exclude the small scale fisheries sector from participating in the harvesting of line fish over the weekends and public holidays. The commercial sectors as well as the recreational sector are both allowed to fish over weekends and public holidays. Clearly this is discriminatory.

This is an open letter to the President, the Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries minister, Department officials and the public. It was written by Christian Adams and Pedro Garcia, the co-chairs of The Collective.

I write this letter after numerous unanswered correspondences and requests to your department and more directly directorate of Small Scale Fisheries. You leave me no choice but to appeal to you publicly.

My name is Christian Adams and I write on behalf of The Collective. The Collective of South African Small Scale Fishers is a national alliance of small scale fishers consisting of members from all four coastal provinces of South Africa. I am the Co-Chairperson of The Collective. And more importantly I write as a bona fide small scale fisher and representative of fellow fishers.

Small scale fishers rely on fishing...