When Policy Sinks Livelihoods. The Human Cost of Cutting Small-Scale Fishing Permits

The Department of Forestry, Fisheries, and the Environment’s (DFFE) decision to reduce the number of small-scale fishing vessels allowed to go to sea from more than 547 to just 77 is not merely an administrative adjustment. It is a profound economic and social shock to some of the most vulnerable communities in South Africa – poor coastal rural households whose survival depends on the ocean. For policymakers, this may be a matter of resource management, compliance, or sustainability targets. For fishing families in coastal villages, however, it is a matter of daily bread.