The Hook
1 October2013
The Hook is back after an absence of four weeks. During that time our communication team worked with others to prepare and wrap up the hugely successful General Assembly of the World Forum of Fisher Peoples, which took place in Cape Town during the first week of September. The Hook will continue to come out every week until our December break and then resume in 2015. Please pass on the information to your contacts.
WFFP 6th General Assembly a huge success
The 6th General Assembly of the World Forum of Fisher Peoples (WFFP), held in Cape Town, adopted important resolutions related to “Ocean Grabbing” and the International Guidelines on Small-scale fisheries.
The Assembly was held in Cape Town during the first week of September and attended by 150 delegates from more than 25 countries.
The keynote address was delivered by Professor Seth Macinko, an associate professor at the University of Rhode Island in the United States of America. The South African Minister of Agriculture Forestry and Fisheries, Mr. Senzeni Zokwana delivered a speech on the closing night of the assembly.
For presentations, pictures, programmes and more information on the General Assembly, do visit our website at www.worldfishers.org. or the World Forum of Fisher Peoples or Masifundise Facebook sites.
Missing Paternoster fishers never found
Coastal Links members in Paternoster are rallying around the families of fishers Preston Gordon and Freddie Steenkamp who went missing at sea about six weeks ago.
Their bodies have not been recovered.
A member of CLSA in Paternoster, Mrs Naomi Cloete said “we are trying the best we can to assist the families of the two gentlemen; we are hoping that the government would assist and hand over Freddie’s permit to his wife, so that she could continue feeding her family now that Freddie is gone”.
The two men went out to sea and never returned. Their boat and lifejackets were found floating on the sea. An extensive search took place which was eventually called off.
Small-Scale Fisheries Conference in Mexico
The 2nd World Small-Scale Fisheries Congress (2WSFC) was held in Merida, Mexico, from 21 to 26 September 2014. The congress focused on “Options and Opportunities for Small-Scale Fisheries“, through seven distinct themes:
- economic viability;
- livelihoods and wellbeing;
- ecosystem stewardship;
- rights and access;
- food security and food sovereignty;
- governance and governability;
- assessment and monitoring.
Masifundise Director Naseegh Jaffer attended the Congress.
The congress is a trans-disciplinary forum for anyone interested in small-scale fisheries to participate in an interactive discussion about the future of the world small-scale fisheries.
The congress was jointly organised and co-hosted by Professor Silvia Salas, the Centre for Research and Advanced Studies of the National Polytechnic Institute (CINVESTAV) in Mexico, Too Big Too Ignore (TBTI) Director Professor Ratana Chuenpagdee and The Memorial University of Newfoundland in Canada, along with many other local and international organisations.
Women of the Coast workshop planned
Two fishing communities (Mamre and Buffeljagsbaai) are planning the Women of the Coast Spring Workshop for later this month.
Scheduled for 18 October, the workshop will look at skills development and cultural exchange.
The workshop is there for women from different fishing communities to network, share knowledge, inspiration and skills related to traditional crafts.
Homemade crafts such as traditional jams, pickled fish, frames, mirrors, ornaments and key chains made from sea shells will be on display and demonstrations of how to make some of these will be done.
The inititiative is a revival of the Coastal Links South Africa women’s programme which aims to assist women to be able to respond to the challenges they face personally, locally and internationally.