Water and Environmental Affairs Minister Edna Molewa has published the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Guideline for Aquaculture in South Africa, for public comment in the latest Government Gazette.

The Department of Environmental Affairs (DEA) developed the guideline after identifying several role-players who lacked adequate information regarding the environmental aspects of the aquaculture sector during the 2009/10 financial year.

The document covered all aspects relating to the environment of the aquaculture sector and would assist stakeholders, environmental practitioners, academics, aquaculturalists and the general public.

It sought to align the EIA process and environmental authorisations with the specific nature of aquaculture, while identifying and promoting awareness of the potential positive and negative impacts associated with aquaculture.

Further, the guideline would present mitigation measures to counter the potential impacts of aquaculture.

The DEA said in a statement that the guideline provided specific information around the authorisation requirements in aquaculture, underpinned by various environmental legal frameworks that included the Biodiversity Act, the Protected Areas Act and the Waste Act.

It also highlighted the scale of the potential impacts of aquaculture and the risks posed to the environment if aquaculture was not implemented in accordance with principles of sustainability.

“Aquaculture has the potential to impact on water, biodiversity, ecosystems and wild fish stocks. As such, the need for integrated planning that is flexible and detailed in the sustainable operation of an aquaculture venture is stressed.

“The implementation of this guideline will assist with the creation of an environmentally responsible and more sustainable aquaculture industry. It is envisaged that the principles outlined in this guideline will result in the development of environmentally sustainable projects and, ultimately, an environmentally responsible aquaculture sector for South Africa,” the department indicated.

Interested parties were invited to submit written comments to the Minister within 30 days of publication of the notice.