Over 70 people attended a meeting organised by the South Durban Community Environmental Alliance (SDCEA) together with the KZN Subsistence Fisherfolk Forum (KZNSFF) at the Nederduitse Gereformeerde Kerk in Scottburgh recently.
People from Port Shepstone, Umgababa, Umkomaas, Scottburgh, and Park Rynie were present.
Some fisherfolk spoke about the struggles they experience at their fishing spots.
Office co-ordinator of SDCEA Desmond D’Sa said the aim of the meeting was to unite, educate and inform participants of the struggle that fisherfolk face daily.
At the meeting, D’Sa spoke about the sewage concerns in the ocean and how subsistence fisherfolk have to unite.
He said fisherfolks have been forced to stop fishing due to high levels of E.coli in the oceans as broken infrastructure have not yet been repaired.
Janeira Reddy, project officer at SDCEA spoke about the oil and gas exploration in South Africa which affects fisherfolks’ livelihoods as marine life dies and also moves to other areas.
Meanwhile, Jonathan Erasmus from WaterCAN delivered a presentation on being an active citizen scientist and how to test water using a simple testing kit supplied by WaterCAN.
Erasmus said WaterCAN encourages community members to get involved and test their water source.
Also, the chairperson of KZNSFF John Peter Narayanasamy also did a presentation on the subsistence fishing policy, beach cleanliness, marine protected areas and the renewal of fishing permits.
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