Fish, fishers and the future: A Special Issue

Guest edited by those well-renowned in their field, Volume 47, Issue 4, of the African Journal of Marine Science is a special issue titled, “Fish, fishers and the future”. The special issue comprises a suite of 13 articles on linefish research, with most of these studies being presented at the 6th Southern African Marine Linefish Symposium which was held at Mpekweni Beach Resort in the Eastern Cape in August of 2024.  

“Linefish” is a unique South African term referring to marine fishes caught by hook-and-line fishing but excluding industrial longline fishing. In southern Africa, and globally, linefish species face many challenges brought about by a combination of overfishing, habitat degradation, pollution and climate change. Effective management continues to be complicated by the multispecies and multi-user nature of the line fishery as well as the difficulties associated with governing complex socio-ecological systems. 

This special issue availble here contains a wide cross-section of the linefish research currently being conducted in southern Africa, with most of the articles contained in the special issue published as Open Access. 

“As guest editors of this issue, it is our hope that this volume will stimulate greater interest and determination from all stakeholders to work together towards wise and sustainable use of our valuable linefish resources,” said Guest Editors in the Editorial. 

Photograph Caption: Three of the four Guest Editors recently attended the World Recreational Fishing Conference held at Mpekweni Beach Resort. NISC were able to take a photograph of Bruce Mann, Matthew Farthing and Alex Winkler with the Special Issue in hand.