Reviving the Olifants River Harder Fishery Co-management System
The overall aim of this project is to
revitalise the co-management system for the Olifants River Harder
Fishery. Involvement of resource users in management activities and
decision-making is a key principle of co-management, requiring
negotiations between the fishers and relevant government officials
regarding management activities, responsibilities and decision-making
processes in order to prepare a co-management agreement that is
acceptable to both parties.
The EEU has been involved in research with the Ebenhaeser community
since the mid-nineties and various training interventions on
co-management with the local fisher committee, fishermen and community
monitors have been facilitated. A community monitoring process has been
set up where local monitors collect catch data for Liza richardsonni
(locally known as harders) and the data obtained are used by the EEU to
monitor and conduct stock assessments for fishing activities in the
area. The EEU has also done various surveys and investigations into
alternative livelihood opportunities, and has documented socio-economic
profiles for the community. |
Fishing boat at the Olifants River
estuary
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Objectives of Project
The key objectives of the project are to:
- Determine the dependence of the Olifants River fisher community on
marine and coastal resources;
- Identify and facilitate the development of alternative and/or
additional livelihood options for the fisher community;
- Establish and facilitate the implementation of a community-based
catch monitoring system;
- Determine whether fishing levels in the Olifants River are
sustainable; and
- Revive co-management arrangements for the Olifants River harder
fishery.
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Local Ebenhaeser fishermen with their
catch
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Publications and Reports
- Sowman M. 2003. Co-management of the Olifants River Harder Fishery.
In: Hauck M and M Sowman (eds), Waves of Change: Coastal and Fisheries
Co-management in South Africa. UCT Press, Cape Town.
- Sowman M, and M Bergh. 2001. An update of results obtained from
monitoring data for the Olifants River harder fishery, unpublished
report. Environmental Evaluation Unit, University of Cape Town, Cape
Town, South Africa.
- Sowman M, Beaumont J and M Rankin. 1999. Obstacles to
Implementation of a Co-management System in the Olifants River Harder
Fishery, South Africa: An Update. International Workshop on Fisheries
Co-Management. 22-28 August 1999. Penang, Malaysia.
- Salo K, Sowman M and J Beaumont. 1998. Emerging co-management
arrangements for the Olifants River Harder Fishery, South Africa.
Report presented at the SEACAM-WIOMSA Workshop on ICZM projects -
lessons learned, Zanzibar, 4-6 March 1998.
- Sowman M, Beaumont J, Bergh M, Maharaj G and K Salo. 1997. An
analysis of emerging co-management arrangements for the Olifants River
harder fishery, South Africa. In: Fisheries Co-management in Africa,
proceedings from a regional workshop on fisheries co-management
research, 18-20 March, Malawi. Fisheries Co-management Research Project
Research Report No. 12.
- Sowman M, Beaumont J, Bergh M & K Salo. 1996. Developing a
co-management system for the Harder Fishery, Olifants River Estuary,
West Coast, South Africa. In: Jackson JC (ed.), Research initiatives on
fisheries co-management in Central and Southern Africa. Report on the
regional workshop 20-22 November 1995. Kariba, Zimbabwe 35: 1-15.
- Sowman M and F Khan. 1993. A preliminary assessment of the effects
of diamond recovery boats on gill net catches of Harders in the
Olifants River estuary. EEU Report 01/93/01, EEU, UCT.
- Environmental Advisory Unit. 1993. A preliminary assessment of the
effects of the diamond recovery boats on gill-net catches of harders in
the Olifants river estuary, report no. 01/93/01. University of Cape
Town, Cape Town, South Africa.
- Carvalho A R, Williams S, January M and M Sowman. 2009. Reliability
of Community Based Data Monitoring in the Olifants River Estuary, South
Africa. Fisheries Research. 96: 119-128.
- Carvalho A, Williams S, January M and M Sowman. 2007
Community-based Data-Monitoring: The Importance of Community
Participation in Fisheries Co-management in South Africa. Paper
presented at People and the Sea 1V. Who Owns the Coast? Fourth
International Conference Centre for Maritime Research (MARE) Amsterdam,
Netherlands, 5-7 June 2007.
- Sowman M, Fielding P, January M and S Williams. 2007. Reviving the
Olifants River Harder Fishery Co-management System. Final research
report prepared for the NRF.
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Key Collaborators
Alan Boyd, Marine and Coastal Management (MCM) link
Steve Lambeth, Marine and Coastal Management (MCM)
Funder:
The project is funded by the National Research Foundation (NRF) and by
the Norwegian South African Fisheries Programme (NORSA) through DEAT.
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