TotalEnergies, the French energy giant, intends to drill up to ten exploration wells for oil and gas in the deepwater Orange Basin along the west coast of South Africa, as well as conduct sonar surveys and vertical seismic profiling, among other operations. The explorations will span from 188 kilometres offshore to 340 kilometres from the coast. These plans have put the livelihoods of small-scale fishing fraternities in danger who have been making a living out of the ocean for generations.
Several public consultations were held in November 2022 from Hout Bay to Port Nolloth.
Fishers we spoke to in the small coastal town of Doringbaai say they are concerned about the impact the oil and gas explorations may have on their livelihoods.
Doringbaai was home to about 1,260 people at the time of the 2011 census, but residents say this number has possibly doubled since then. The town relies mostly on fishing and the Doring Bay abalone farm at the harbour.
“Oil and gas, and fishing cannot co-exist,” says Fabian Mohammed, a fisher woman in Doringbaai. “Either you go into the ocean to catch fish or [you go] for oil and gas. But you can’t do both.”
“Fishing has been our livelihood for generations … We were born here and we work here,” she says. “If they are coming to drill oil, who can guarantee there will be fish left in 15 years time? What kind of future do our kids have in Doringbaai?”
Government’s Operation Phakisa Ocean Master Plan to unlock the “untapped” wealth of South Africa’s vast ocean resources will make things easier for larger fishing companies to dominate over small communities, says community leader Peter Owies.
“Ocean grabbing isn’t new to us,” says Owies. “We’ll be competing as a small-scale industry where these [companies] want to operate.”
He fears the small fishers will be “driven out”.