scholarly journals Preliminary assessment of surf-zone and estuarine line-fish species of the Dwesa-Cwebe Marine Protected Area, Eastern Cape, South Africa

Koedoe ◽  
2012 ◽  
Vol 54 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jan A. Venter ◽  
Bruce Q. Mann
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Law Enforcement ◽  
Fish Species ◽  
Protected Area ◽  
Surf Zone ◽  
Marine Protected Area ◽  
Fish Populations ◽  
Estuarine Fish ◽  
Catch Per Unit Effort ◽  
Preliminary Assessment

A preliminary assessment of surf-zone and estuarine line fish was carried out in the DwesaCwebe Marine Protected Area (MPA), on the Wild Coast, South Africa. The purpose was to provide baseline data on inshore line-fish stocks in the MPA. A total of 28 species was recorded, of which 53% have a conservation status reflecting some concern and 43% are endemic to southern Africa. This highlights the value of the MPA for protection of important line-fish species. Within the MPA, localised differences were detected in species diversity, size frequency and catch per unit effort between unexploited and illegally exploited areas. These differences were more prominent in slow growing, long-lived species. It thus appears that illegal exploitation is negatively affecting fish populations within the MPA, which counteract and potentially could eliminate the benefits of fish protection typically associated with no-take MPAs. These results highlight the need for improved law enforcement and better communication with neighbouring communities to increase awareness. It is further recommended that the current no-take status of the MPA should be maintained. In addition, baseline fisheries information was collected on certain fish species that could be used to inform future conservation management of the MPA.Conservation implications: The Dwesa-Cwebe Marine Protected Area is unique and important for the conservation of key surf zone and estuarine fish species. However there is a significant risk to the fish populations due to illegal exploitation. Key interventions should include enhanced law enforcement but, more important, the creation of alternative livelihoods and long term sustainable benefits to local communities.

Crossing Invisible Boundaries: the Effectiveness of the Langebaan Lagoon Marine Protected Area as a Harvest Refuge for a Migratory Fish Species in South Africa

2009 ◽  
Vol 23 (3) ◽  
pp. 653-661 ◽  
Author(s):  
SVEN E. KERWATH ◽  
EVA B. THORSTAD ◽  
TOR F. NAESJE ◽  
PAUL D. COWLEY ◽  
FINN ØKLAND ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Fish Species ◽  
Protected Area ◽  
Marine Protected Area ◽  
Migratory Fish

scholarly journals Evaluating the Effects of a Deep-Water Marine Protected Area a Decade After Closure: A Multifaceted Approach Reveals Equivocal Benefits to Reef Fish Populations

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brendan J. Runde ◽  
Jeffrey A. Buckel ◽  
Paul J. Rudershausen ◽  
Warren A. Mitchell ◽  
Erik Ebert ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Reef Fish ◽  
Deep Water ◽  
Protected Area ◽  
Marine Protected Area ◽  
Biological Effects ◽  
Reef Fishes ◽  
Control Area ◽  
Fish Populations ◽  
Catch Per Unit Effort ◽  
Hurdle Models

Marine protected areas (MPAs) are increasingly used to rebuild fish populations. In 2009, eight MPAs were designated off the southeast United States with the goal of rebuilding populations of long-lived deep-water reef fishes. We tested whether reef fish within the largest of these MPAs, the Snowy Wreck Marine Protected Area (SWMPA), have increased in size and abundance relative to a nearby control area and compared to pre-closure. Hurdle models fitted through Bayesian inference on echosounder data collected in 2007–2009 and 2018–2020 yielded no evidence of an MPA effect. Comparisons of catch-per-unit-effort (CPUE) of all reef fishes yielded similar null results. However, CPUE of reef species with formal stock assessments increased 47% in the SWMPA and decreased 50% in the control area. We found significant increases in mean length of red porgy (Pagrus pagrus) inside the SWMPA but not in the control area. We also found community composition changes, including shifts away from groupers (Serranidae; Epinephelinae) and toward snappers (Lutjanidae) and tilefish (Malacanthidae) in both areas, though we did not detect an MPA effect with this analysis. Our equivocal results indicate that more time and stricter enforcement may be necessary before more biological effects of the SWMPA can be detected.

Length-weight relationships of 10 fish species from Shengsi Ma'an Archipelago Special Marine Protected Area, East China Sea

2017 ◽  
Vol 33 (6) ◽  
pp. 1231-1233 ◽  
Author(s):  
K. Wang ◽  
C.-W. Li ◽  
Z.-H. Wang ◽  
J. Zhao ◽  
S.-Y. Zhang
Keyword(s):  
East China Sea ◽  
Fish Species ◽  
Protected Area ◽  
Marine Protected Area ◽  
East China ◽  
China Sea

Case Note: The interface between customary rights and environmental legislation: Lessons from Gongqose & Others vs Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries & Others (SCA) 2018

2020 ◽  
Vol 26 ◽  
pp. 134-160
Author(s):  
Alexander Paterson
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Natural Resources ◽  
Protected Area ◽  
Marine Protected Area ◽  
Customary Law ◽  
Constitutional Court ◽  
Eastern Cape ◽  
Customary Rights ◽  
The Republic ◽  
Law And Legislation

The Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996, recognises customary law as an independent and original source of law, subject to the Constitution itself and legislation that specifically deals with customary law. As recognised by the Constitutional Court in Alexkor Ltd vs the Richtersveld Community (2004), customary law, as an independent source of law, may give rise to rights including rights to access and use natural resources. Rights to access and use natural resources are often comprehensively regulated by legislation. Conflicts between customary law and legislation relevant to natural resources may arise, as evidenced in the case of Mr Gongqose, who along with several other community members were caught fishing in the Dwesa-Cwebe Marine Protected Area situated off the Eastern Cape coastline. Notwithstanding their claims to be exercising their customary rights to fish in the area, they were convicted in the Magistrate’s Court for certain offences in terms of the Marine Living Resources Act (1998), under which the marine protected area had been established. Their appeal to the High Court proved unsuccessful and the Supreme Court of Appeal was tasked with considering the relationship between their customary rights to fish and legislation purportedly extinguishing these rights. The SCA’s judgment in Gongqose & Others vs Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries & Others (2018) is the first of its kind in South Africa to consider the extinguishment of customary rights to access and use natural resources through post-constitutional legislation. This note critically considers the guidance the SCA provided on proving the existence of customary rights to access and use natural resources, and the manner in which they may be extinguished through legislation. While the focus is on marine living resources, the lessons emerging from this case are relevant to other natural resource sectors.

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