The ABALOBI Community-level Fishery Improvement Project in the Struisbaai traditional Yellowtail (Seriola lalandi) line fishery in South Africa is based on a triple-bottom-line assessment, covering social, environmental, and financial risk assessments of the line fishery.
The C-FIP is a unique project in small-scale fisheries globally, being the first ever Fishery Improvement Project to comprehensively assess risk factors across social, ecological, and financial spheres within a fishery.
Following the risk assessments, and in deep consultation with the Struisbaai fishing community and stakeholders, a series of objectives for the project have been identified and codified into an agreed-upon work plan, which is now underway.
Action Goal: Improve fishers’ access to and participation in a community-level fishers’ and fish workers’ organisation
Action Description: ABALOBI will assist the Struisbaai traditional line fishers in the creation of a community-level organisation that is open to all stakeholders across the fishery, including skippers, crew, quality control workers, value-added product producers, and allied workers. This organisation is intended not only to address concerns related to freedom of association raised during the SRA baselining assessment but also to provide a mechanism for fishers to publicly air grievances in the absence of a government mechanism to support this. Additionally, the formation of the organisation will lay the foundation for future co-management and greatly enhance stakeholder participation in the fishery beyond just the skippers.
Action Goal: Work with fishers to create a novel brand and market access for Struisbaai-caught Yellowtail. Deploy ABALOBI technologies and outsourced vessel tracking devices to streamline data collection and analysis related to fuel resource efficiency.
Action Description: By working with Struisbaai fishers to strengthen and promote a novel brand for their line-caught seasonal Yellowtail catch and opening up local and international market opportunities, fishers will secure an improved price for their catch as well as increased demand. Currently, only a small proportion of their catch is sold via the ABALOBI MARKETPLACE due to low local demand. Opening up new market opportunities will resolve this challenge while eliminating middlemen, who keep fishers as price takers through off-season debt traps. Additionally, the rollout of vessel tracking devices, paired with ABALOBI data capture mobile applications (tracking all fishing-related income and expenses alongside catch data), will enable the ABALOBI team to process data and identify potential solutions to resolve the fishers’ current fuel resource efficiency challenges.
Action Goal: Work with fishers and key Struisbaai stakeholders, such as community health workers, to seek ways to improve healthcare and medical response within the fishery.
Action Description: Explore Memoranda of Understanding ("MoUs") and other mechanisms that can be established between the community and government departments to address first aid preparedness and training, as well as basic healthcare needs for fishers and fish workers.
Action Goal: Engage with fishers and the Department of Forestry, Fisheries & Environment ("DFFE") to recognise and work towards protecting the traditional rights of Struisbaai traditional line fishers through the establishment of MoUs and other mechanisms.
Action Description: Explore the establishment of MoUs and working groups with the DFFE and commercial skiboats operating in the Struisbaai fishing grounds to recognise and respect traditional fishers’ rights.
By December 2025, the FIP will address the following environmental objectives:
Read more about the Struisbaai C-FIP on FisheryProgress.org.