Place and community
For over a century the traditional net fi shing community of Olifantsriver on the West Coast of South Africa has depended on the Olifants River estuary and the surrounding coastline for their livelihoods. The Olifantsriver is regarded as one of South Africa’s most valuable estuarine eco-systems and its relatively unspoilt condition bears testimony to the way in which this local community has interacted with their environment. The fishers have traditionally fished for lobster and line-fish during the summer months along the coast, in the winter months depending on the estuary for mullet, known locally as harders.