Primary tabs
THIS IS THE ARCHIVE FOR SAHRIS 1.0
THIS SITE IS NOW AN ARCHIVE AND IS NOT SUITABLE FOR MAKING APPLICATIONS
Please be aware that no content and application creation or changes to information on this version of SAHRIS will be retained.
To make applications or utilise SAHRIS for the creation of information, please use the new site:
https://sahris.org.za
Changes to SAHRIS!
The South African Heritage Resources Information System (SAHRIS) has undergone a generational upgrade and restructure. These changes to the site include, but are not limited to:
- A new & modernised look and layout
- Improved site usage flows with respect to applications and content creation
- Improved site performance and stability
Launch for the new version of SAHRIS occurred on Monday the 30th of October 2023.
The new site can be found here:
SAHRIS | SAHRIS
9/2/079/0009
- 356 reads
Group
Post date: 07/08/2012
There are 25 fish traps at NKP that were, historically, maintained by local fishers. The traps are situated in the intertidal zone and consist of circular enclosures made of local rock and stone.
The traps are of undetermined age and origin. There is some evidence which suggests that they may be pre-colonial in origin. Similar fish traps elsewhere along the South African coast are thought to have been in use during the pre-colonial period (cf. Goodwin 1946; Avery 1975; Poggenpoel 1996). Relatively recent studies, however, suggest that the NKP fish traps were constructed after the 1920s by local farmers (Hine 2008, 2010) and it is possible that the European settlers who came over to South Africa brought the technology with them as there are many European examples of the construction and use of historical stone-walled fish traps (cf. Hine 2010, Chadwick and Catchpole 2013).
Whatever their age and origin, these fish traps have been used and maintained by local fishermen and farmers since at least the early 20th century and are still usable today. Aerial photographs show that new traps were built between 1938 and 2006 (Kemp 2006). The local/indigenous knowledge of the use and maintenance of these traps resides in the local community but is gradually being lost.
The NKP fish traps are a representation of the cultural, social, historic, and scientific values that fish traps as a collective hold for the South African nation.