A group of small-scale fishers from the West Coast claimed victory in the Western Cape High Court on Tuesday, 8 February after a Judge ordered the Australian geoscience company, Searcher, to stop their seismic survey blasting that started in January.
The victory comes after the group initiated an urgent interdict to save and protect the small-scale fishing communities from Saldanha, Langebaan, Lamberts Bay, Port Nolloth and St. Helena Bay on the West Coast.
During the hearing, Judge Daniel Thulare said that the applicants suggested that interference with the habitation of indigenous species threaten the livelihoods of the communities that live off the sea.
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The Legal Resources Centre (LRC) who represented the various West Coast communities and small-scale fishers said in a statement that their livelihoods would potentially be impacted by the survey.
“Importantly, for these fishers, fishing is not just a means of generating income, it is their way of life. Despite this, Searcher did not undertake any meaningful consultation with the affected communities and failed entirely to get environmental authorisation under the National Environmental Management Act,” the statement read.
According to the LRC, the court was presented with concrete evidence which indicated that the survey could have had a severe impact, not only on the fishing communities but also on the marine and birdlife on the West Coast.
“The case was brought in two parts, part A dealt with an interim interdict to prohibit Searcher from conducting the seismic survey while part B is a review of the permit granted to Searcher by the Minister of Mineral Resources and Energy,” the LRC explained.
Meanwhile, the order also halted any activities from Searcher until there has been a determination on the merits of the interdict application, which will be heard on Monday, 7 March.
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