Panel discusses challenges and the way forward

The South African fishing NPO strives to promote small-scale fisheries for ecological, economic and social sustainability.

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Moderator, Two Oceans Aquarium Foundation’s executive of strategic projects, Dr Judy Mann,n directed discussions to address five key ways to overcome these barriers and restore fisheries to health and sustainability:

1. Serving only seasonal seafood.

2. Telling stories about the seafood on the menu — and the species omitted from it.

3. Educating chefs and waiting staff about sustainable seafood.

4. Procuring responsibly by insisting on supply chain transparency and traceability; forging partnerships between restaurants and organisations such as Abalobi

5. Seasonality

Following this discussion, the fisherwomen posed their questions and shared their lived experiences.

Fisherwoman Michelle Singh, from Hout Bay, asked how the restaurant industry was making fishing viable for her as an indigenous fisher.

“Went to sea. Born and bred in the sea. Still busy in the sea and in the harbour in Hout Bay. How do you really work with local communities and local fishers? What do you really call sustainability if 1 know that some of our products come via the sea, go to other countries, and then come back to our country?” she asked.

Ms Singh said that most of the poaching was being done by deep-sea trawlers.

She invited the panellists to visit her at the harbour to see how fishing communities sustain themselves.

“We can take care of our seas ourselves. Come see how we do it. How we sustain ourselves. We use a fish from the tail, up into the intestines and in the head. A full snoek, hake and kingklip,” she said.

Fisherwoman Rovina Europa, from Arniston, asked whether the government was WWF SA’s main source of information for statistics on endangered species.