Fishmeal plant strengthens west coast fisheries

The South African government has welcomed a major R170 million investment by the African Pioneer Group into a new fishmeal plant at Sandy Point Harbour in St Helena Bay, Western Cape.

The facility is set to boost local and export supply chains by producing a range of fish products and strengthening the small pelagic sector’s value chain.

Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment Willie Aucamp,said, “This facility is so much more than an expansion of processing capacity. It is a strategic intervention in the small pelagic value chain that strengthens domestic beneficiation, enhances operational efficiency, and positions South Africa to extract greater economic value from each tonne of fish harvested,” he said. He added that the project “strengthens local opportunities without increasing pressure on the resource base” and represents investment in communities and the future of South Africa’s fishing industry.

Aucamp emphasised and added, “The more than R170 million investment represented by this facility contributes directly to sustainable industrial growth in a priority coastal node,” he said, highlighting the partnership between government, science and the fishing industry as central to sustainable marine resource management.

The small pelagic sector plays a crucial role in coastal employment, food security, animal feed supply chains, and export earnings, especially along the West Coast. However, it is also highly vulnerable to environmental variability and climate-driven shifts. The Minister pointed to recent scientific assessments showing major fluctuations in biomass and recruitment, particularly the record-low anchovy recruitment in 2025 and persistently low sardine populations.

In response, the sector has been urged to diversify fishing efforts towards more abundant species such as round herring, which has shown strong biomass performance. “This species now plays a critical buffering role in maintaining throughput in the pelagic sector during periods when sardine and anchovy are constrained,” the Minister said. He explained that investments like the Sandy Point fishmeal plant support resilience by enabling efficient processing of a wider species mix, reducing waste, improving turnaround times, and stabilising supply to downstream industries.

Overall, the plant is seen as a strategic move towards sustainable industrialisation and strengthened marine beneficiation, aligning with the Oceans Economy Master Plan and the government’s industrial policy framework.