The Pretoria High Court ordered the end of the project after a group of citizens and marine and conservation specialists concerned about the future of the area, Friends of Tsitsikamma Association, took legal action in an attempt to prevent continued fishing in the Tsitsikamma section of the Garden Route National Park.
This was the group's second court bid. The first attempt last month failed after the court found that the matter was not urgent.
The legal action follows an agreement between the South African National Parks (SANParks) and local anglers to allow fishing in the area from December 15 as part of a pilot project.
SANParks claims the pilot project was introduced to “test the implementation” of new draft
regulations published by the Department of Environmental Affairs on November 19.
The department proposes the rezoning of the MPA after more than two decades of debate over the matter with local fishermen who feel they lost their right to fish in the area without giving input when the park was declared more than 50 years ago.
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