Achieving an Inclusive Blue Economy for Small-scale Fishers: Recommendations to the South African Parliament

The policy brief examines the historical marginalisation of black and coloured fishers in South Africa and the subsequent struggle for fishing rights. It highlights the transition from individual to collective rights under the 2012 Policy for the Small Scale Fisheries Sector (SSF policy) and the failures in the 2013 rights allocation process. The author argues that while transformation is necessary to address racially skewed ownership, it must be paired with procedural justice and effective law enforcement to combat poaching and restore trust in the sector.

• Apartheid-era legislation and spatial strategies forcibly removed black and coloured fishing families from communities like Fish Hoek and Simon’s Town to areas such as Ocean View or the Cape Flats, while shifting access to lucrative species like abalone and rock lobster to white-owned companies.
• Rights ownership among historically disadvantaged individuals increased to 26% after medium-term allocations and nearly 40% after long-term allocations, yet many traditional fishers remained excluded due to complex application processes and lack of finance.
• The 2012 Policy for the Small Scale Fisheries Sector (SSF policy) introduced a shift from individual rights-based allocations to collective rights granted to community-based legal entities such as co-operatives, trusts, or companies.
• The 2013 rights allocation process for linefish was set aside in May 2014 after the Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries acknowledged poor administration and questionable judgements by officials.
• Many fish stocks targeted by small-scale fisheries are collapsed or overexploited, and illegal fishing is often viewed as a legitimate means of survival in communities excluded by the rights allocation system.
• The author recommends that Parliament strengthen its oversight of the SSF policy implementation, particularly regarding rights allocation for abalone, rock lobster, and linefish, and establish explicit transformation targets to reduce uncertainty.

APA

Benkenstein, A. (2015). Achieving an Inclusive Blue Economy for Small-scale Fishers: Recommendations to the South African Parliament. South African Institute of International Affairs. https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/Policy-Briefing-128.pdf

Chicago

Benkenstein, Alex. Achieving an Inclusive Blue Economy for Small-scale Fishers: Recommendations to the South African Parliament. South African Institute of International Affairs, 2015. https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/Policy-Briefing-128.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Benkenstein |first1=Alex |title=Achieving an Inclusive Blue Economy for Small-scale Fishers: Recommendations to the South African Parliament |publisher=South African Institute of International Affairs |date=February 2015 |url=https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/Policy-Briefing-128.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{benkenstein2015achieving, author = {Benkenstein, Alex}, title = {{Achieving an Inclusive Blue Economy for Small-scale Fishers: Recommendations to the South African Parliament}}, institution = {South African Institute of International Affairs}, year = {2015}, month = feb, url = {https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/Policy-Briefing-128.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }