The Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (DAFF) will embark on a series of public information sessions commencing next week Monday, 27 September 2010 until Friday, 15 October 2010 to discuss and explain the draft small-scale fisheries policy.
This follows the gazetting of the draft policy for the small-scale fisheries sector in South Africa for public comment earlier this month on Friday, 3 September 2010.
The information sessions are all scheduled to take place at various venues along the entire coastline of the country. A detailed scheduled is available on http://www.daff.gov.za.
This draft policy is aimed to bring about a number of changes. With this policy government aims to take a new approach to managing marine living resources for small-scale fishers by providing access to marine living resources in fishing areas.
The small scale fisheries sector is a key role player in the sustainable use of marine living resources as direct and indirect users that already have a large impact on food security by way of fish for food and fishing and related activities to generate an income to buy food in areas where small-scale fisheries is a way of life.
The policy will establish an effective basis for determining which marine living resources are applicable to the small-scale fisheries sector.
This will include the principle of preferential access to small-scale fishing communities who have traditionally depended on marine living resources for their livelihood; adopting a multiple species approach in allocating fishing rights to small-scale fishers; a co-management approach to managing the small-scale fisheries sector; and that the integrity of ecosystems and sustainability of the resource is not compromised.
It will also guide and facilitate the integration of a range of interventions that will lead to the incorporation of small-scale fisheries into mainstream marine fisheries management.
Public comments received will be considered during the finalisation process of the policy.
Public comments are invited and must be submitted in writing by 16h00 on 22 October 2010. Comments received after this time may not be considered.
Interested and affected parties will have the opportunity to submit written comments on the draft policy. Written comments must be clearly marked "Comments on Draft Small-Scale Fisheries Policy" and must be submitted to the following address:
By hand and E-mail
Attention: Mr Sandile Sibiya
Customer Service Centre
Foretrust Building
Ground Floor
Martin Hammerschlag Way
Foreshore
Cape Town
Fax: 021 402 3622
E-mail : Smallscale@daff.gov.za
By mail
Attention: Mr Sandile Sibiya
The Acting Deputy Director-General
Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries
Private Bag X2
Roggebaai
8012
The draft policy is available on http://www.daff.gov.za. The policy is available in English, Afrikaans, Xhosa and isiZulu.
For enquiries contact:
Carol Moses
Tel: 021 4023448
Cell: 082 829 3917
E-mail: CarolMo@daff.gov.za
Public information sessions on small-scale fisheries policy
