Scoping study on the development and sustainable utilisation of inland fisheries in South Africa: Volume 2. Case studies of small-scale inland fisheries

Abstract

Small- scale fishing on inland waters is a widespread livelihood activity which has been overlooked in environmental policy and management arrangements flowing from South Africa’s democratic Constitution. This has perpetuated the Apartheid and Colonial era legacies of marginalisation of rural communities from natural resource access and, in the absence of clearly defined use rights, resulted in unmanaged and unsustainable fishing practises, and growing user conflicts. A major constraint to addressing the situation at policy level was identified as the lack of quantitative information on inland fishing for livelihood purposes.