Small-scale fisheries are a vital yet frequently overlooked sector both globally and within SA. Despite progressive policy frameworks, the lived realities of many small-scale fishing communities reveal persistent structural inequalities that continue to marginalise their voices and limit their benefits from marine resources.
SA’s Blue or Oceans Economy framework embodies a vision that balances ecological stewardship with economic growth and social inclusion. For SA to realise a truly sustainable and equitable Blue Economy, governance reforms must translate policy ideals into meaningful empowerment and inclusive participation, especially where it matters most.
The gazetting of the Small-Scale Fisheries Policy in 2012, along with subsequent amendments to the Marine Living Resources Act in 2016, marked a significant milestone for the small-scale fisheries sector. These policies explicitly recognise the unique character of small-scale fisheries, emphasising community-based rights, human rights, food security and the safeguarding of customary practices. With nearly 150 small-scale fishing communities, consisting of tens of thousands of fishing households, this highlights the sector’s socioeconomic role and rich cultural heritage.
Central to reformed policy processes was the shift from individual rights allocations to collective, community-based resource management. This reorientation reflects a global consensus that effective and sustainable fisheries governance hinges on empowering local actors as stewards of their marine environment. With the growth and acceleration of the Blue Economy, a global initiative aimed at using ocean resources for economic growth, SA too aims to harness its ocean’s wealth to unlock billions in GDP and create millions of jobs. In doing so the country adopted a fast-tracked strategy called Operation Phakisa, which would speed up growth and development of SA’s maritime sector.
According to its goals and ambitions, this strategy’s starting point “represents that new spirit of moving faster in meeting government’s targets. The government’s starting point was that SA is surrounded by a vast ocean which has not fully taken advantage of the immense potential of this untapped resource”. The ambition is admirable and there is no question that SA must grow and transform its economy. However, the critical question remains: for whose benefit? If the Blue/Oceans Economy merely perpetuates the ongoing narrative of exclusion, particularly for coastal communities still recovering from apartheid-era marginalisation, then the objective of establishing a just and sustainable future will have been compromised.
With regard to policy reform in the small-scale fisheries sector, the 2012 Policy for Small-Scale Fisheries was supposed to address some of the challenges faced by the sector. It promised legal recognition, equitable access to marine resources and a new era of co-management between communities and government. However, more than a decade later progress in implementing the objectives of the policy has been slow. Central to these challenges are access rights, lack of basic infrastructure, boats and facilities that would make small-scale fisheries rights and work viable. Institutional and capacity constraints, as well as inconsistent implementation of policy objectives, continue to hinder progress in the sector and such gaps will worsen existing inequalities for many communities.
While SA’s Oceans Economy Master Plan acknowledges the significance of small-scale fisheries, actual investment priorities continue to favour large industrial sectors such as offshore oil and gas, shipping and aquaculture. These industries are capital-intensive and profit-driven. Small-scale fisheries, by contrast, offer something different, which includes local food security, cultural heritage, ecological knowledge and sustainable use of marine resources. These contributions are not always considered, but they are essential to the wellbeing of communities in SA.
Extensive research in SA and worldwide has demonstrated that small-scale fisheries are not only about livelihoods, but equally about its values. In many communities the ocean is regarded as sacred. This is where people go to pray, to heal, to reconnect with their ancestors. When companies such as Shell proposed seismic activities off the Wild Coast it not only threatened marine ecosystems but coastal culture alike. In acts of resistance it was local communities and their partners that opposed these activities and emphasised that their resistance is linked to an entirely different vision of what the ocean means and who it belongs to.
If the Blue/ Oceans Economy is to be more than a buzzword it must centre justice as much as jobs. It is also essential to foster meaningful dialogue that acknowledges existing power imbalances and strives to share power genuinely. This therefore leads us to consider what essential steps are required to genuinely integrate small-scale fisheries into SA’s ocean future.
First, it is essential to ensure that policy commitments result in access to resources. This involves finalising community-based rights, reducing management barriers and providing sufficient support to community co-operatives to enable them to prosper.
Second, and linked to community development and support, is infrastructure. In small-scale fishing communities, investments in processing facilities, cold storage, transportation networks and market chain support are essential to sustaining livelihoods and enabling growth.
Third, environmental protection is imperative and directly affects human wellbeing. Climate change will also disproportionately affect small-scale fishers, and therefore marine spatial planning should actively involve small-scale fisheries and safeguard their fishing areas and resources from large-scale developments.
Finally, we need a holistic governance approach. The lack of co-ordination, overlapping mandates, inefficiencies and conflicting priorities undermine sustainable development goals. Enhancing collaboration and integration across the government, private sector, civil society organisations and local small-scale fisheries communities are essential.
Such an integrated governance model for small-scale fisheries will strengthen policy coherence, improve decision making and ensure that social, economic & environmental objectives in an ocean economy are inclusive and sustainable. Realising this transformative agenda requires political will, adequate resourcing and an unwavering commitment to inclusive governance.
• Dr Williams is attached to the School for Public Leadership at Stellenbosch University. This article is an extract from a paper, “Empowering small-scale fisheries for a sustainable and inclusive blue/oceans economy in SA”, that was published by the Inclusive Society Institute after its participation in the Academic Council for the UN’s System held in Nairobi in June.
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