In the second week of November, 26 small scale fisher leaders from the 13 co-operatives along the southern Eastern Cape coastline (from Cold Stream to Kei Mouth), along with other Coastal Justice Network members, gathered at the Fish River resort near Port Alfred. We arrived with excitement and some nervousness about meeting in person for the first time, after almost two years of working and sharing together mostly over Whatsapp! The idea for this workshop emerged from our many discussions with SSF leaders in the southern regions of the Eastern Cape who were all facing similar challenges. The objectives of the workshop were to reflect on the past 2 years since the Eastern Cape Co-ops were given their rights, to share advice and lessons learnt particularly related to the squid sector, abalone ranching, seaweed harvesting, MPAs and the threats of offshore oil and gas, and to build solidarity and shared visions for the future of the SSF sector.
We opened our gathering with a memorial for all of the small scale fishers who have passed away since the co-operatives were formed in late 2019/2020.
We then went around the room sharing stories of our earliest memories of the sea. This was done as a way to get to know each other better, to connect to where we all came from, and to connect to our deep relationship with the ocean. Many of these memories related to the way that the ocean has provided for families over generations; as well as to the potentially destructive power of the ocean. For some, speaking about the ocean was very painful, as they have experienced such violent exclusion and exploitation in relation to ocean spaces.
On the second day, we were joined by officials from DFFE – Mr Vuyisani Jozana, from the SSF directorate within DFFE, and Mr. Siya Dlulisa, Director of MPA directorate, DFFE, as well as a colleague from Abalobi. The small scale fishers presented on the status of their co-ops, their achievements and challenges, and then the officials responded. The following main points emerged:
- Leaders are calling for more support in the form of training, legal advice & resources – “we are holding a lamp but have no paraffin”; “we have a bowl but someone else is holding the spoon”
- Co-ops have been exploited by SASMIA and other Industrial fisher companies – often bribed or intimidated to sign unfair contracts.
- Co-ops feel regret that they have signed bad deals, and they know they were advised not to sign these deals, but they had no alternatives and were under so much pressure from their members and from the companies “we were like a groom who hurries to get married because he wants to be a man, but he got married without knowing the bride very well, and without the officiator being there!”
- There seems to be a Catch-22 with regards to the 38 allocated boats for SSF, whereby Co-ops have been told that they will get boats if they have been using their permits, but many who have signed away their permits have done so because they do not have access to boats – they are trapped as so called ‘paper permit holders’
- The burning question is: How are we going to create jobs? How can we turn our permits into something that benefits our communities ?
- There are so many different policies and plans coming from the same Department, how are SSF going to be included in all of these? They are so confusing and they all say things in different ways but we know they will all impact us
- Many members have passed away before seeing any benefits; and many have died at sea in bad circumstances – how do we honour them and support their families?
The following actions were agreed upon:
- DFFE to communicate the date for the MPA forum coming up from the 29th Nov- 2 December – inviting SSF leaders to come to the forum. SSF leaders are to advise how many EC SSF leaders will attend that forum.
- SSF leaders should coordinate amongst themselves to discuss who needs training and for what, and advise DFFE about how training should be rolled out.
- DFFE departments to strategize better around how SSF is to participate in decision making – DFFE to better coordinate these efforts to ensure less burden is placed on the SSF sector.
- DFFE SSF directorate Feedback on seaweed permits and maps of where small scale seaweed harvesting can take place
- DFFE SSF directorate Feedback on the SASMIA appeal
- DFFE plus other support organisations – work together to provide more ongoing support / advice / training opportunities for SSF
- Coastal Justice Network to Consult LRC about a way forward regarding human rights abuses and fronting.
- DFFE to investigate Post-Covid budget recovery to restore budget for 27 boats that was promised
- DFFE to go and consult beneficiaries in Hamburg from the Abalone experiment – about the financial benefit going to the CO-OP
On our final day together, we learnt about the proposed Shell seismic surveys coming to the Wild Coast on the 1st of December, and the comments period for the CGG seismic survey to start along the southern Eastern Cape coast between Gqeberha and Mossel Bay. Fishers observed with frustration and anger that the location of the seismic surveys overlapped with their fishing territories, and with the spawning and migration routes of many of the species they depend upon, as well as others that are crucial for the entire ecosystems that they are a part of. We developed posters expressing our resistance to these oil and gas explorations.
Written by Taryn Pereira