Cape town: Over the past decade, South Africa’s ocean economy has attracted more than R4 billion in investment, with government contributions drawing in significant private capital. ‘Our oceans are a national treasure. If we use them wisely, they will feed families, power industries, and provide work for generations. If we waste them, we waste our future,’ Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment, Dr. Dion George, said on Thursday.

According to South African Government News Agency, George made these remarks in a statement that highlighted the economic potential of South Africa’s oceans, which can add billions to Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and create hundreds of thousands of jobs – if managed sustainably. These estimations are supported by the Oceans Economy Master Plan, which projects contributions of R166 billion to GDP and more than 600,000 jobs by 2035.

Aquaculture, fisheries, coastal tourism, and marine conservation are key to this vision, especially for coastal provinces with high unemployment. In 2014, the government launched the Operation Phakisa programme in an effort to unlock the economic potential of South Africa’s oceans. The programme has already pushed aquaculture forward, accounting for most of the marine sector activity and employment.

‘Marine Protected Areas are boosting coastal tourism, from diving to whale watching, while ensuring biodiversity is safeguarded. Marine Spatial Planning is balancing economic activity with ecological care by zoning ocean use for maximum benefit,’ the Minister said. Fishing harbours are being revitalised through the Fishing for Freedom campaign, with new jobs already being created in fish processing, boatbuilding, and tourism.

The Department of Forestry, Fisheries, and the Environment is also advancing an inland fisheries policy to unlock food security and rural enterprise opportunities. ‘Our aquaculture facilities, our harbours, and our Marine Protected Areas are all proof that the ocean is not only heritage: it is also industry, tourism, and growth,’ the Minister said.

He underlined that the ocean economy will only succeed with good governance, innovation, and community inclusion. ‘With the right management, our oceans are South Africa’s blue gold. They are a renewable source of jobs, revenue, and resilience. We are committed to unlocking this wealth for the benefit of all South Africans,’ George said.