Small-scale fishers in South Africa have long faced many obstacles, with the fishing industry established amidst discriminatory policies. The 1988 Marine Living Resources Act recognized only commercial and recreational fishers, turning the practices of subsistence and small-scale fishers into illegal activities. Over the years, this has greatly impacted the state of the fisheries resources.
June 15, 2020
Prepared by: Augustina Meh Ndum, Vanessa Eyng, Mirella Leis, Memorial University
Fishing activities are an integral part of many coastal communities, especially in South Africa where they represent a significant source of income and livelihoods. Local communities have been harvesting resources from the coasts and oceans for decades, and fishing is part of their culture, identity, and heritage. Adding to the historical and on-going struggles, the current Covid-19 pandemic brings to small-scale fishers in South Africa many more challenges for them to deal with.
Looking at the past
Small-scale fishers in South Africa have long faced many obstacles, with the fishing industry established amidst discriminatory policies. The 1988 Marine Living Resources Act recognized only commercial and recreational fishers, turning the practices of subsistence and small-scale fishers into illegal activities as they continued to harvest resources. Over the years, this has greatly impacted the state of the fisheries resources. As Andy Johnston, a fishery activist, said, “Fishing communities are in crisis and the state of resources such as lobster and abalone are at the point of collapse and this is mainly due to poaching.”
While the practice of illegal fishing, e.g. in the form of poaching, is mainly caused by structural poverty, there are many other injustices faced by small-scale fishers in comparison to commercial and recreational fishers. Small-scale fishers have more restrictions on quotas and zoning compared to fishing companies. More fishing rights are given to the industrial fisheries and the recreational sector rather than to small scale fisheries, and the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries has not yet allocated rights to small-scale fishers after so many years since the enactment of Marine Living Resources Act. Small-scale fishers are prohibited from harvesting during weekends and public holidays, and this is a significant hindrance to earn a living, along with other possible adverse fishing conditions (ocean tides and restricted fishing hours) during the week. There is also discrimination in terms of the allocation of fishing rights, with the commercial fishing industry being granted eight years or more, while the small-scale sector is given merely three years.
Covid-19 and its own impacts
Small-scale fishers had already been experiencing income problems due to inequality, but now, with the pandemic, it has become worse. The current situation has led to a negative impact on fishers’ income, and although small-scale fishers received allocations, those were not deemed economically viable to sustain themselves and their families. Furthermore, there has been an over-supply of resources in the local market, while the effects of the crisis on the international markets take its toll on the fishing industry. Prices of lobster and abalone have been greatly affected as trade with China came to a halt as a result of the country’s import ban on live animals, and the closure of exports from South Africa imposed by the Marine Stewardship Council. The Department was allocating rights to the commercial sector, especially for the net and line fish, which small-scale fishers depended on for a sustainable livelihood.
A relief program was announced to address some of the needs of small-scale fishers. According to Seafood Source, the program would allow “the distribution of at least 10,000 food parcels to those identified to be in dire distress by the Fisheries Department and stakeholders in the seafood industry”.
Initiatives to support new types of market already exist. Abalobi, an initiative to bring together stakeholders, has developed a mobile application suite and program to promote traceable seafood into local markets. Quickly responding to lockdown measures, Abalobi Marketplace started selling directly to buyers. Chefs and organizations are putting together information on how to clean and cook seafood. This is a friendly way to deliver a clear message: the support that small-scale fishers need could also come from the consumers’ side.
Although women have an important role to play in the fishery, they have been largely discriminated. Nevertheless, women, like men, bring home the income and put the food on the table through fishing-related activities like mending of trawling nets, cleaning the fish after harvesting, among other processing and marketing activities. According to Rovina Europa, a fisherwoman from Arniston on the Cape west coast and a Coastal Links leader, Covid-19 represents a double threat to women. Women have to look for resources and income to take care of their family, and also teach their children who cannot go to school due to closure to prevent the spread of the virus.
Nicole Franz, an FAO fishery officer for small-scale fisheries, pointed out to SeafoodSource, "Small-scale fishing communities are often off the radar for policymakers, and their social, economic, and political marginalization in a situation like this pandemic puts a serious threat to the livelihoods of these communities that provide food for millions of people."
Thriving small-scale fisheries are essential to food security across the African continent. Despite the historical problems small-scale fishers have faced, The African Confederation of Professional Organisations of Artisanal Fisheries (CAOPA) sees this crisis as an opportunity.
In a letter, they wrote, “The FAO Voluntary Guidelines for Securing Sustainable Small-Scale Fisheries, as well as the Policy Framework and Reform Strategy for Fisheries and Aquaculture in Africa, can guide us in this process. More than ever, in this time of crisis, we expect our decision-maker to adopt urgent measures to ensure the sustainable development of artisanal fisheries.”
This is an important call to action in South Africa.
