Livelihoods of small-scale fishers of Struisbaai : implications for Marine Protected Area planning.

Includes abstract.Includes bibliographical references.South Africa’s coastal environment is characterized by an increasing network of Marine Protected Areas (MPA), with the purpose of conserving fisheries resources and marine biodiversity. The coast is also home to over a hundred rural small-scale fisher communities, such as the community at Struisbaai Noord, which are considered to be marginalised communities heavily dependent on marine resources for their food security and income needs. The small-scale fisher community at Struisbaai Noord is one of several fisheries operating in the waters off the coast of Struisbaai. The others are: a migratory commercial line fishery, boat and shore-based recreational fishery, chokka squid commercial fishery, and commercial trawlers. The overall aim of this study is to understand the human (social, economic, cultural and institutional) dimensions of the small-scale fisheries sector in Struisbaai, with a particular focus on the livelihood strategies that fishers in this community employ, in order to inform future marine protected area planning in the Agulhas region