Confiscated abalone numbers drop as COVID-19 lockdown restrictions bite Written by defenceWeb - Abalone anti-poaching operation in Eluxolweni, Western Cape. The amount of poached abalone confiscated by South African authorities dropped from 66 tons in 2018 to 13 tons in 2020 as COVID-19 restrictions limited illegal harvesting by well-equipped organised groups, mainly operating in the West Coast region of South Africa. This is according to an answer by Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment, Barbara Creecy, to a Democratic Alliance (DA) question on the state of abalone poaching in South Africa. She stated that the illegal harvesting of abalone along the West Coast region of South Africa is mainly a result of poverty and unemployment in coastal communities and lack of alternative forms of livelihoods.