BEYOND THE BLUE For South African small-scale fisheries (SSFs), the concept of Blue Justice gained momentum in the post-apartheid period, when the long battle for social and economic justice started. They lost rights, access, livelihoods, and food security.
The story started with the legal challenge brought by SSFs in South Africa against the fisheries department for the recognition of their rights to practise their livelihood as a group, secure their food and determine their market structure. This was the Equality Court challenge of Kenneth George and Others against the Minister of Environmental Affairs and Tourism in 2004. This case challenged the Individual Transferable Quotas (ITQs) allocation system, the privatisation of rights, monopolisation of the fishing sector and commodification of their food system.
Artisanal fishers, together with the Masifundise Development Trust,…