SOUTH AFRICA OCEANS OF CHANGE: WEATHERING STORMS

The report tracks the sustainability commitments of major South African seafood retailers and suppliers for 2020-21, noting a general decline in progress due to the Covid-19 pandemic. It highlights the vulnerability of coastal populations and fisheries to ocean warming and acidification, while advocating for nature-based 'blue carbon' solutions. Consumer data from 2021-22 indicates a rising demand for sustainable seafood, with hake, calamari, and prawns remaining the most consumed items in South African restaurants.

• The ocean provides critical climate regulation services by absorbing more than 90% of excess heat from greenhouse gas emissions and has the potential to contribute one-fifth of the global carbon emissions reductions required to limit global temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels.
• Climate change impacts on the ocean include ocean acidification, warming, sea level rise, and deoxygenation, which specifically threaten coastal populations, small-scale and large-scale fisheries, mariculture, tourism, and blue energy.
• The Covid-19 pandemic caused a noticeable decline in the progress made by most participants in the WWF-SASSI Retailer/Supplier Participation Scheme toward meeting their seafood sustainability commitments in 2020.
• A 2021 analysis of South African restaurants identified hake (91%), calamari (74%), and prawns (60%) as the top traded species over the last decade; notably, green-listed snoek/barracouta has now overtaken orange-listed salmon as a consumer favourite.
• South African seafood consumers demonstrate high environmental consciousness, with 92% reporting they are worried about climate change and 84% stating they buy sustainable products.
• Consumers place significant responsibility on retailers to facilitate sustainable choices, with over 50% of surveyed consumers identifying 'knowledgeable staff at restaurants and retailers' as a key factor in making sustainable seafood choices easier.

APA

WWF South Africa (2022). SOUTH AFRICA OCEANS OF CHANGE: WEATHERING STORMS. https://wwfafrica.awsassets.panda.org/downloads/wwf_sassi_retailer_supplier_participant_scheme_report.pdf

Chicago

WWF South Africa. SOUTH AFRICA OCEANS OF CHANGE: WEATHERING STORMS. 2022. https://wwfafrica.awsassets.panda.org/downloads/wwf_sassi_retailer_supplier_participant_scheme_report.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=WWF South Africa |title=SOUTH AFRICA OCEANS OF CHANGE: WEATHERING STORMS |date=2022 |url=https://wwfafrica.awsassets.panda.org/downloads/wwf_sassi_retailer_supplier_participant_scheme_report.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{wwfsouthafrica2022south, author = {{WWF South Africa}}, title = {{SOUTH AFRICA OCEANS OF CHANGE: WEATHERING STORMS}}, institution = {WWF South Africa}, year = {2022}, url = {https://wwfafrica.awsassets.panda.org/downloads/wwf_sassi_retailer_supplier_participant_scheme_report.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }