Sea Harvest: Back(fish)bone in Saldanha Bay’s local and regional economy?

Abstract

The fishing industry is the socio-economic base of coastal towns in the West Coast region of South Africa. Regional development focussed on Saldanha Bay is locked into a tight relationship between the Port (oil, gas and iron ore), the local government and two industrial sectors, namely steel and maritime fishing. This paper examines the role Sea Harvest Corporation (Pty) Ltd has played in the evolution and development (socio-economic transformation) of the Greater Saldanha Bay region.¹ First, the literature on the roles of institutions in regional development in general and fishing in particular is reviewed. Second, the state of fish resources at global, national and local levels is discussed to provide the wider context. Third, a mixed-method approach is used in a case study of Saldanha Bay’s deep-sea trawling industry where the evolution of Sea Harvest as a company in the Greater Saldanha Bay region and its role in the region’s development are treated. Sea Harvest is shown to play an important role in the local and regional economies – where more than 2000 permanent jobs have been sustained over the last 10 years and at least 25% of all households in the Greater Saldanha Bay region have benefitted from involvement with the company. Last, some lessons from this highly specific case study are shared.

Keywords

deep-sea hake industry fisheries management institutions Sea Harvest South Africa

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