Aquaculture

South African aquaculture contributes approximately 1% of African aquaculture production. African aquaculture, in turn, contributes less than 1% of global aquaculture production.
As far as managing aquaculture is concerned, South Africa, it may be argued, trails Namibia, Angola, Tanzania and Ghana.

Feike's professionals were responsible for co-ordinating and drafting what was intended to be a draft bill on aquaculture for South Africa. Separate stand-alone legislation regulating and governing aquaculture is desperately and urgently needed in South Africa if South African aquaculture is to remain economically and environmentally viable.

Aquaculture management in South Africa is presently divided between marine based "mariculture" and fresh-water based "aquaculture". The former is managed by the Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism, and particularly its branch, Marine and Coastal Management in terms of section 18 of the Marine Living Resources Act, 18 of 1998. The latter - fresh-water based "aquaculture" - is managed by the Department of Agriculture. The result has been that aquaculture has never been managed in a co-ordinated and holistic manner as is done in other countries. The proposed draft bill proposes the following fundamental policy shifts:

• The establishment of an aquaculture regulator, whose primary mandate will be to regulate, monitor and promote South African aquaculture;
• The establishment of a "one-stop" aquaculture shop, eliminating the various spheres of bureaucracy at the provincial and local government levels;
• Co-ordinated regulation and promotion of aquaculture production so as to reduce the current increasing pressures on South African capture fisheries and to ensure food safety.

A successful South African aquaculture industry will not only alleviate pressures on capture fisheries, particularly on critical line fish stocks, but will also provide an important form of sustainable livelihood for poor coastal villages located adjacent to waters with less and less wild fish.

Feike's professionals have the experience and knowledge to advise clients, whether private entrepreneurs or governments with a vision that recognise the important opportunities and challenges aquaculture can provide. Feike is able to provide the complete suite of services required from -

• understanding the biological and ecological challenges;
• undertaking impact assessments;
• attending to the legal permutations associated with obtaining approvals; and
• management of the start-up phase and reporting to authorities.