- Title
- An analysis of inland fisheries resource use in the Eastern Cape, South Africa
- Creator
- Matam, Ncumisa Yanga
- Subject
- Fisheries South Africa Eastern Cape
- Subject
- Fishery law and legislation South Africa Eastern Cape
- Subject
- Small-scale fisheries South Africa Eastern Cape
- Subject
- Small-scale fisheries Social aspects South Africa Eastern Cape
- Subject
- Small-scale fisheries Economic aspects South Africa Eastern Cape
- Subject
- SADC Inland Fisheries Sector
- Subject
- Subsistence fishing South Africa Eastern Cape
- Subject
- Draft Inland Fisheries Policy (South Africa)
- Date Issued
- 2022-10-14
- Date
- 2022-10-14
- Type
- Master's thesis
- Type
- text
- Identifier
- http://hdl.handle.net/10962/232215
- Identifier
- vital:49972
- Description
- South Africa’s Draft Inland Fisheries Policy identifies inland fisheries as an opportunity for socio-economic benefits such as jobs, food security and economic development, based on small-scale fishing and recreational value chains. Using roving creel surveys, this study examined various fishing groups in publicly accessible dams in both an urban and a rural settlement in the Makana Municipal area, Eastern Cape, South Africa. While inland fisheries are particularly relevant for rural communities, there is very little information on the current use of these resources, irrespective of inland fisheries’ importance. This thesis presents a conceptual framework for a study that: (1) reviews available information of inland fisheries and development attempts in South Africa; (2) provides an assessment of the use of inland fisheries on publicly accessible dams in the Makana Municipal area and (3) evaluates case studies of current and past utilization of selected inland fisheries initiatives in the Eastern Cape. The results of this project provide insights into the current conditions and development potentials of inland fisheries in the Eastern Cape. There was a difference in species composition between the dams, but no difference in the CPUE between dams. For example, in Grey dam many species were present, but as the dam size is only one hectare, this would result in an estimated yield harvest of only 207 kg/ha/year. Anglers were encountered at all dams, although fish were only retrieved by anglers in the rural dams of Committees Drift. Dam usage in the rural area was mostly subsistence angling, and this was significantly greater than in the urban area. Subsistence fishers utilised the fish to sustain themselves and their families and for better livelihoods. Anglers from outside the area tended to utilise the dam for recreational angling. Dams found in the urban area were also mostly used by subsistence anglers, though there were a few uses for aesthetic purposes. The urban dams were also utilised recreationally (picnics, year-end functions, swimming), as opposed to the rural dams which were only used for angling. A total of 10 interviews were administered to key respondents in the form of a questionnaires to determine the importance of the fisheries to them. Catch documented from the questionnaires, interviews and logbooks constituted 1238 species and 978 020 kg. Of all the anglers encountered from the interviews, the gill net catch species varied by dam. The fate of fish caught by anglers was dependent on employment status, with most unemployed anglers selling their fish for income and most employed anglers consuming their catch. The findings show that dams were used mostly by small-scale fishers and recreational anglers. Ichthyological surveys revealed that popular fish harvested were moggel, common carp, largemouth bass and Mozambique tilapia. The results are discussed in the context of appropriate development of fisheries in small dams in the province, with recommendations to continue monitored surveys to better inform the inland fisheries policy. The findings from this thesis show that having small scale fisheries in place and providing good access to the dams is essential for rural populations, in turn, providing better livelihoods through hunger alleviation and generating household income.
- Description
- Thesis (MSc) -- Faculty of Science, Environmental Science, 2022
- Format
- computer
- Format
- online resource
- Format
- application/pdf
- Format
- 1 online resource (123 pages)
- Format
- Publisher
- Rhodes University
- Publisher
- Faculty of Science, Environmental Science
- Language
- English
- Rights
- Matam, Ncumisa Yanga
- Rights
- Use of this resource is governed by the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons "Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike" License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0/)
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| Thumbnail | File | Description | Size | Format | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| View Details Download | SOURCE1 | MATAM-MSC-TR22-27.pdf | 1 MB | Adobe Acrobat PDF | View Details Download |