This Canvas is Complete

Dear Readers

It has been longer than four decades that I have crafted stories, met deadlines and shaped the news agenda, but now I am preparing to chase a new rainbow.

I am relinquishing Fishing industry News and Aquaculture Southern Africa at the end of December. It’s time. The industry is making its own news now using social media and other platforms so closing down this website is not a difficult decision.

I have enjoyed a wonderful and varied career in trade publications since the early 1980s and I consider myself to have been fortunate to have entered the world of printing and publishing at a time when South Africa was heading towards major political change. 

This change, formalised nearly 10 years later, brought with it massive growth and development in all sectors of the economy, and especially in technology. In the early days it was sheer hard work interviewing, writing and editing articles without the benefit of computers or cellphones to speed up the process. With the passing of time the traditional publishing tools made way for sophisticated new technology that has evolved into the digital and social media platforms we now use to follow the news.

For the past seven years I have built up this website on the back of the print version of Fishing Industry News Southern Africa, in publication from 1999 to 2019. The decision to do away with the magazine corresponded with global trends in publishing. Advertising had become more difficult to procure and print and postage costs were rising. The Covid-19 pandemic was the death knell.

Having weathered this storm, transitioning to the website was in retrospect a timeous distraction in the face of a series of relentless personal traumas and losses over several years; coupled with a changing world deeply affected by the global pandemic and subsequent wars.

The extensive news content reflects the changes in the fisheries in South Africa, Namibia and Mozambique over the years. Articles have included the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic; the Karpowership project that went nowhere; the environmental disasters that are beach, phosphate mining, or oil and gas exploration; human tragedies as a result of vessels sinking or grounding; and the plight of the African Penguin and various shark species, amongst others. The long-term fishing rights application process (FRAP) was tracked; the Mozambican tuna boat and Namibian Fishrot corruption scandals and other corporate scandals received full coverage; and country politics were followed. More recently the news has turned to concerns about the environment and climate change.

I hope I have heard your voices and provided an avenue for your opinions to be expressed and conversation debated. As much as this has entertained me and kept me informed of what has been happening, so too I hope this has been your experience.

I would therefore like to take this opportunity to thank all guest columnists for allowing me to publish your contributions for free.

A very special thank you too to all my loyal subscribers for your support and attention. The paywall – not very popular –  has been a necessary tool to provide a source of revenue to cover operating costs without having to beg for donations, advertising, or sponsorships. I want you to know that without your support this website would simply not have been possible.

The domains for this website and the server maintenance plan terminate at the end of December. I will continue to publish fresh content until then and beyond that I am sure some of the articles published on the various platforms that hunt free content will still be available to read, although eventually they too will disappear. 

There is always a place for authentic news that is not churned out by ChatGPT or AI but distinguishing this in future is going to become more difficult. Frankly, as a writer, I refuse to use it. Apart from the fact that I want my brain to work, it is my opinion a breach of ethics as a writer to let “the machine” write my articles, which also means I can’t take credit for them.

As for freedom of expression, and in the words of former President Nelson Mandela: A critical, independent and investigative press is the lifeblood of any democracy. The press must be free from state interference. It must have the economic strength to stand up to the blandishments of government officials. It must have sufficient independence from vested interests to be bold and inquiring without fear or favour. It must enjoy the protection of the constitution, so that it can protect our rights as citizens.