Export markets snap up SA seafood

South Africa imports most of its seafood, including calamari, for local consumption while the local catch is almost entirely exported due to the premium pricing that it attracts in foreign markets. That’s according to a report by World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) and Traffic – called ‘From Boat to Plate: Linking the seafood consumer and supply chain’. Released earlier this month, it is aimed at better understanding the context within which seafood is bought and sold. The report further noted that much of the hake consumed by South Africans between 2000 and 2010 was imported, with more than 95% of the imported volume coming from Namibia. In terms of prawns consumed in South Africa, 62% originated from India in 2010, with volumes also from Mozambique and Thailand. CAPTION A calamari boat in the Port Elizabeth harbour.