Eco Minute 13:00

BULLETIN 19 May 1:30 pm

Good afternoon, here is your Eco Minute:

# The deputy minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment, Bernice Swarts, will lead the Eastern Cape Small-Scale Fisheries Summit at Mthatha Stadium this week. The summit aims to strengthen engagement between government and fishing communities, provide technical support to small-scale fisheries co-operatives, and address market and infrastructure challenges. The programme will feature exhibitions and technical discussions led by sector experts, showcasing successful models of small-scale fisheries.

# The South African Weather Service says two cold frontal systems are expected to develop this week. A cold front will make landfall over the south-western parts of the country today, resulting in wet, cold, and windy conditions over the western parts of the Western Cape. Weather forecaster, Lehlohonolo Thobela, says tomorrow the wet and cold weather conditions will spread, affecting the Namakwa District of the Northern Cape, and the Eastern Cape:

# And finally: The Tara Ocean Foundation has reported that maritime plastic pollution has worsened since the 1970s. Large debris like fishing nets kill over one-million seabirds and 100-thousand marine mammals each year. Less visible microplastics, now found even in deep ocean trenches, have disrupted microbial communities and carry toxins into food chains. The foundation says what is required is a reduction in the production of single-use plastics, increase the lifespan of plastic objects through regulation, and promote re-use and reparability. 

Stay tuned for more news………….