WATCH BBC Shines Spotlight on Jacobsbaai Fishermen Suffering from China’s Lockdown
According to a BBC documentary, very few fishermen in Jacobs Bay (Jacobsbaai) on the West Coast, South Africa, will be able to survive if the China lockdown continues for much longer. Speaking to fishermen, some of whom have fished these Atlantic Ocean waters for 25 years, they say they’re now struggling to pay rent, power […]
According to a BBC documentary, very few fishermen in Jacobs Bay (Jacobsbaai) on the West Coast, South Africa, will be able to survive if the China lockdown continues for much longer.
Speaking to fishermen, some of whom have fished these Atlantic Ocean waters for 25 years, they say they’re now struggling to pay rent, power and put food on the table for their children.
Even though this small community in SA is so far away, the lockdown in much of China is having a big impact because the Jacobs Bay fishermen usually export 80 to 90% of their crayfish to China.
But now China has stopped importing the crayfish (lobster), and so there’s no income. The market price has halved since the Chinese New Year, some vessels have stopped going out, and some factory workers are not working. They say it’s becoming very serious.
The situation is also leading to a realisation that they need to look at other markets and not be dependent on only the Chinse.