New publication on KZN fisheries

EZEMVELO KwaZulu-Natal Wildlife has approached the Oceanographic Research Institute (ORI) at uShaka Marine World to collate all the existing fisheries data for KwaZulu Natal into a single, easily accessible publication.

This decision was made because of the importance of considering the combined impact of fisheries on South Africa's precious marine resources and conserve marine biodiversity, and the need for those managing these operations to have a sound bank of knowledge to operate sustainable and equitable businesses.

The task fell to scientist Bernadine Everett and her colleagues from ORI, Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife, the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries and the KwaZulu-Natal Sharks Board.

Everett said this project, which took more than a year to complete, was both challenging and rewarding.

“The intention was for the publication, which includes contributions from twelve scientists, to be informative, user-friendly and compact. I am very pleased with the result,” she said.

Everett kept a watchful eye on the process as various experts compiled profiles on all the marine and estuarine fisheries in the province.

These are very comprehensive and include a variety of different aspects including participation, user profiles, catches, effort, impacts on biodiversity, sustainability, monitoring and data collection, economic values and management strategies used.

The publication’s format is intended to appeal to a wide audience. It is available for download at https://www.ori.org.za/uploads/files/orispecpubl11.pdf.

Contact Ann Kunz at uShaka Marine World on 031 328 8000.