Poaching for Abalone, Africa’s ‘White Gold,' Reaches Fever Pitch
A booming illegal trade in abalone—the world’s most valuable shellfish—is fueling a social and environmental crisis in South Africa.
It’s no man’s dream to be an abalone poacher, said Angelo Josephs, as we sat inside his tiny township shack perched on the mountainside above Hout Bay, a suburb of Cape Town. His wife made tea while their three kids played with their dogs on the dusty floor.
“Sometimes the weather is rough, but we know the cops won’t be on the water,” Josephs said. “So we’re going to take the chance. It’s 50-50. When you say, ‘Goodbye baby,’ that’s maybe the last goodbye.” He pointed toward the cold turquoise waters of the Atlantic visible beyond a peak called the Sentinel. “Just back here we’ve lost a lot of brothers, friends, nephews, uncles, daddies. In my lifetime I can say I
