As part of this year’s National Science Week, which took place from 1 to 7 August, SAEON’s Egagasini Node in Cape Town hosted a webinar titled “Fisheries and its relation to sustainable use of ocean resources”. The webinar was made possible through funding from the Department of Science and Innovation, administered by the South African Agency for Science and Technology Advancement (NRF-SAASTA). 

Professor Kerry Sink highlighted the importance of science in informing the sustainable use of ocean resources while acknowledging that science could have some biases. Marine science student Clarence Daniels, who had been brought up in Hout Bay, said that it would be important to consider the experiences and the collective wisdom of the fishers with those of the scientists, suggesting that the indigenous knowledge of the fishers might be useful.

Pavitray Pillay gave an informative talk on WWF-SASSI’s work towards sustainable seafood. Thato Tlakedi described how they use fisheries data tools to inform sustainable fisheries at I&J. Thato spends most of his time on a fish farm.

Fisher Clarence Smith from the Hout Bay community gave valuable insights on the status of fisheries in Hout Bay from his own point of view, as well as the challenges being faced as a result of the depleting fish stocks. He added advice on how the government could empower the local fishers to sustain the livelihood of their families who depend on them. Dr Fannie Shabangu told participants more about their work at DFFE.  

Guest panel of experts 

A guest panel of experts included stakeholder representatives in the fishing sector such as scientists, policy administrators, fishers, fish farmers, non-governmental organisations and students. The different role players offered a wide spectrum of insights, views and expert opinions on fisheries and its relation to climate change. Opportunities and challenges associated with the sustainable use of ocean resources were discussed and debated, offering a true educational platform to the participants.

Thomas Mtontsi, the SAEON Egagasini Node’s education officer, facilitated the panel discussion by interviewing panel members on the significance of the different roles they play in the fishing sector. The discussions were enlightening as views were shared between the experts on what sustainability meant to them when it comes to fisheries.

The fishing community made use of this opportunity to raise their concerns and communicate the assistance they require to make fisheries sustainable for them as well as for the environment. Aphiwe Nonkeneza shared information about his job as a policy administrator, helping the participants understand the processes of obtaining a permit and eligibility, while also providing insight on his department’s management and regulations.  

Mzamo Maqeba is a fisheries observer who is often deployed to collect scientific data from fishing vessels. This data is considered by the government for compliance and penalties. Fisheries observers’ data include identification of the regulated catch and by-catch, areas fished, fishing methods and marine pollution.

Participants expressed their appreciation for the opportunity to add to the general understanding of the fisheries sector from their experiences, information which could be considered in conjunction with scientific recommendations.

Questions asked by participants 

• What is the state of actual protection of marine protected areas in South Africa (I am assuming there are such areas) in terms of illegal fishing?
• Are there any actions taken towards deficient information of the species that are of non-commercial value (mostly caught as bycatch by commercial fisheries)?
• What ‘tools’ does SASSI give to the public to help with sustainability of species other than just informing them and developing the traffic light system?
• What percentage of the fisheries industry uses ocean/coastal modelling contributions (or other numerical models)?
• Are geographic information systems (GIS) used extensively, as GIS can help make work processes, reporting and decision-making easier and more efficient?
• What areas of fisheries do you think need immediate improvements?

Some comments from the participants

• • “It is important that scientists acknowledge biases and recognise the limitations of their work. I do think the work of the fisheries team working on climate change should also be considered, including experimental work on rock lobster. I know many scientists who do pro bono work – including those engaging in their personal time on events such as this, training the next generation on their weekends and working evenings to strengthen the knowledge base to support good decision-making within the many limitations.”
  • “Thank you, this webinar was very useful with the different panels interacting. I would like to engage in more of these events.”
  • “If I can just respond to the comment about fisheries observers and scientists doing the same thing: yes indeed, the scientists and the observers work very closely indeed and the observers are contributing an immense amount of knowledge of the ocean environment. They play a critical role and are very valued.

The event was unique in showcasing different forms of knowledge across the value chain – from fishers and fisher communities to scientists, fishers’ observers, consumer advisors, permitting officials and managers tasked with the difficult decision-making process.