The Overstrand Local Economic Development Agency (OLEDA) has unanimously voted to grant SASC R80 000, or approximately USD10 000, for the development and implementation of our Green Marine Gillie Programme (GMGP).
The GMGP is a unique and innovative programme designed to assist South Africa and South Africans with the development of a sustainable, eco-friendly solution to our national fisheries crisis. By retraining local subsistence fishers - many of whom lost their fishing rights in the last rights allocation process - to be responsible fishing guides SASC hopes to build a viable, multi-pronged and creative programme which benefits fishers, the environment and national and international visitors to the Overstrand Region.
Following intensive training, during which SASC will provide community-selected trainee Gillies with training in marine ecology and sustainability, fishery science, species identification, local conservation issues, general marine policy relating to resource exploitation and conservation, tourism protocol and other relevant programme-specific areas, Green Marine Gillies will become fully qualified responsible fishing guides. These guides will become service providers in their own right and thus be part of a creative job creation scheme for out-of-work fishers.
This is the first initiative of its kind in South Africa and we are hopeful the Green Marine Gillie Programme becomes a model for other job creation schemes for fishers no longer able to work in the fishing industry due to ever-declining marine resources.
Stay tuned to our website (www.sharkconservancy.org) and our blog for more information on this programme.
If you would like to contribute to this programme, please contact info@sharkconservancy.org.
South African Shark Conservancy: committed to research, conservation & sustainability
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