10 Year Review: Small-scale – The People Betrayed

With fish and fish products being one of the most lucrative traded food commodities worldwide the fishing industry in South Africa WAS a vibrant, dynamic and vital contributor to the South African economy and it was shown to be a substantive source of job creation. But the policies both past and present have denied traditional fishing communities their rightful usage and control of the access to land, the sea and the resources. This has affected the lives and livelihood of innumerable disadvantaged people.

 Even before we can talk about fisheries policies, we need to know more about the fishing communities themselves, their culture, beliefs, traditions and historical make-up.

There are many who are not aware of how complex, difficult, dangerous and arduous the occupation really is. We were always regarded by society, fisheries management, academics and scientists in low esteem and to be of the lower class in society.