"The recommendations from the Science Policy Labs were spot on"

Dr Bernadine Everett represented the Western Indian Ocean Marine Science Association, WIOMSA, based in Zanzibar, Tanzania although she is based in Durban, South Africa and works for the Oceanographic Research Institute. She participated in the SASi-SPi Science Policy Lab in Cape Town that focused on innovation and building networks and in the global Science Policy Lab organized in Brussels. 

- One of the recommendations from the Cape Town Lab was the need for a bottom-up approach. Small-scale actors within aquaculture and fisheries didn’t feel that they were included and felt intimidated because the networks are run by government institutions and academics, says Bernadine Everett.

Existing aquatic food networks in South Africa are more focused on large scale actors and small-scale actors see little use in joining these groups. Language and communication problems were put at the forefront.

- What needs to be done is to see what benefits small-scale farmers: disseminating for example the best procedures for aquafarming and making available the existing opportunities for farmers. Moreover, the processes must be easily accessible: forms should be available in your own language, she says.

Language barrier

She expands on the importance of the language barrier for small scale actors. People were hesitant to join the networks not only because they didn’t feel they knew English well enough, but also because of the language with advanced terms used in the existing aquatic networks.

- The recommendations from the Science Policy Labs were quite spot on. The language issue came up over and over again, since small scale actors don’t speak English, there is a need for a spokesperson who can attend the networks meetings and relay the information to the farmers and fishers in a language that they understand, says Dr Everett.

Another obstacle to joining for small-scale actors was that many of the existing network meetings in South Africa are held online and people can’t attend digital meetings due to a lack of access to a high-speed internet connection.

- There needs to be new ideas on how we can disseminate information so that it reaches everybody.

Temperate climate species

Dr Everett mentions that there hasn’t been enough research on suitable species for small-scale aquaculture in different parts of South Africa. The well studied species are perfect for a tropical climate, but they are not as suitable for a temperate to subtropical climate like in South Africa.

- You can’t take one species and say that this will work for small-scale farmers in the whole country.

She compares South Africa with tropical areas in East Africa where many small-scale actors have tilapia ponds in their backyards. In South Africa tilapia is not as suitable.

Another socioeconomic challenge mentioned during both the Science Policy Lab in Cape Town and in Brussels is that traditionally people don’t eat fish. 

In South Africa, there are a few programs teaching children to eat fish in schools with freshwater ponds where fish are raised for school lunches.

- These programs are very important since they teach children to eat fish and the benefits of it but there will be a long way to get adults to follow suit. We have a long way ahead of us to change people’s perceptions of the benefits of eating fish. 

Fewer regulations wanted

From an economic point of view, it’s difficult for aquafarmers to compete because almost all aquaculture in South Africa must be land-based and imported fish is cheaper. Generally, the Science Policy Lab participants wanted fewer regulations to make it easier for small-scale aquafarmers to start their businesses.

Dr Everett emphasizes that the Science Policy Lab in Cape Town was extremely well organized and covered many facets of networking issues with well-balanced small groups of participants. 

- Now it’s a matter of implementing what was said and engaging the right people in each country to get these networks going. It is imperative to go to the communities to make sure that the networks are what people want and that they get something out of them.

She was very impressed with the level of participation.

- People contributed in a way I’ve never seen before, talking in front of groups and seeming to enjoy it. They didn’t seem intimidated. It was absolutely wonderful.  Having specific focal points discussed in bite-size sessions made a big difference. I will bring some of this with me into my future work, she says