The use of the Durban Metropolitan Area's marine resources is controlled by national legislation which aims to ensure sustainable harvesting. The impacts of marine pipelines are regularly monitored against general standards laid down by the Department of Water Affairs and Forestry. A sand by-passing scheme is proposed to facilitate the replenishment of Durban's beaches with sand. A variety of non-statutory organisations have been established which focus on improving coastal management along the KwaZulu-Natal coast. A new national policy on coastal management has been developed which aims to provide for improved management of the coast. Durban's Environmental Management Policy seeks to optimise the benefits derived from the unique coastal resources of the Durban Metropolitan Area (DMA).

1) Regulation of marine resources
Historical regulation
Until 1998, the use of the marine resources along the DMA's coast was controlled by the Sea Fisheries Act 12 of 1988 and the Natal Nature Conservation Ordinance 15 of 1974. The enforcement of these regulations was entrusted to the Natal Parks Board (now KwaZulu-Natal Nature Conservation Service). Although over-fishing has certainly occurred in some of the fishery sectors, the marine resources were relatively well managed in comparison to other provinces of South Africa.

Recent regulation
The Marine Living Resources Act 18 of 1998 has reverted control of the various fishery sectors largely to national government (Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism). There have, however, been some problems with the implementation of the Act, particularly with regard to the licensing of users and the status of subsistence and artisanal fishers.

Most of the large industrial fisheries on the south and west coasts of South Africa are managed by quota limitations, but the KwaZulu-Natal coast does not have fisheries that warrant this kind of management. Fin fish harvests are, however, controlled by regulations associated with the Marine Living Resources Act, which stipulate bag limits, minimum sizes, closed seasons and closed areas.

Marine and Coastal Management authorities have also responded to the pressures on fin fish stocks along the KwaZulu-Natal coast by, for example, closing the fishery for seventy four. It is now illegal to catch this species because the stock is so reduced. Red steenbras and poenskop catches have been limited to two fish per person per day. The shad fishery is controlled by a number of regulations that limit the harvest of this species. An angler may catch only five shad per day, there is a minimum size limit (30 cm), and no shad may be caught during the closed season (September - November) when spawning occurs.

Invertebrate harvests are also controlled by regulations associated with the Marine Living Resources Act. These regulations stipulate bag limits, minimum sizes, closed seasons, closed areas and gear limitations on the capture of specific organisms. In addition, under the Act, the seashore between the north harbour breakwater and the Umgeni River is a protected area with regard to the harvesting of invertebrate animals.

Enforcement
Each year, about 5 000 KwaZulu-Natal Nature Conservation Service shore patrols check over one million anglers and invertebrate collectors, as well as 900 skiboats. They collect about 500 admission of guilt fines, and take over 600 people to court.

2) Environmental monitoring
Environmental monitoring is a requirement for the discharge of waste material to the sea. It is routinely undertaken by both the Durban Metropolitan Council and the CSIR to assess levels of pollution along the coast. Effluent discharge and chemical and trace metal concentrations in the sediment must meet general standards as laid down in 1992 by the Department of Water Affairs and Forestry.

3) Sand by-passing scheme
To remedy the loss of sand from beaches north of the harbour, a fixed sand by-passing scheme may be implemented in the near future. This will replace the time consuming and expensive process whereby the sand is dredged from the sand trap south of the southern breakwater, transported to the storage hopper on the northern breakwater, re-dredged from there, and pumped by way of four booster stations to the required beach. In future, jet pumps on the southern breakwater will extract sand from the sand trap and pump it directly to beaches that have been eroded.

4) Non-statutory coastal management organisations
There are a number of non-statutory organisations which have been established to improve the management of KwaZulu-Natal's coast which includes Durban. These include:

• South Coast Marine Pipeline Forum whose main aim is to improve the water quality of the upper South Coast. Its members comprise the authorities (Department of Water Affairs and Forestry), industry (AECI, Tioxide and SAPPI-SAICCOR), sea users (divers and fishers) and the communities of the Umkomaas, Scottburgh and Amanzimtoti area.
• South African Association for Marine Biological Research , established in 1951, aims to ensure wise, sustainable use of marine resources through education and research. It incorporates the Oceanographic Research Institute (ORI), Sea World aquarium, dolphinarium and education centre all located on the Durban beachfront.
• Coast Watch – KwaZulu-Natal which is a coalition of interested and affected parties who form a sub-committee of the Wildlife Society. They work to achieve the conservation, management and sustainable development of the coastal zone and offshore marine resources of KwaZulu Natal. The vision of the committee is to establish a healthy coastal environment with equitable and diverse opportunities for all people of KwaZulu-Natal.
• Coastal Working Group organised by the Department of Local Government and Traditional Affairs which comprises mainly provincial and local authority officials and deals with development issues in the coastal zone.
• Coastal Fisheries Liaison Committee which is organised by the KwaZulu-Natal Nature Conservation Service to enable coastal resource users to interact with management agencies.

5) New national coastal policy
The  White Paper for Sustainable Coastal Development in South Africa was approved on the 1 December 1999 and is now executive government policy. This aims to provide an integrated coastal policy for improved management of the coast. Under the policy, local government will continue to carry out many of the day-to-day responsibilities for coastal management above high water. A new national Coastal Management Act is proposed.

6) Durban Metropolitan Environmental Policy Initiative
An Environmental Management Policy has been prepared for the Durban Metropolitan Area. Objective E4 addresses the management of Durban's coastal resources.

Objective E4: To optimise the benefits derived from the unique coastal resources of the DMA

Policy statements Local government shall develop a metropolitan coastal management policy in keeping with the new national coastal policy, in collaboration with relevant stakeholders, to protect coastal resources and enhance coastal quality in order to maximise the developmental benefits which they provide The economic, recreational, educational, cultural and health value of the coast of the DMA shall be acknowledged, protected and enhanced Coastal ecosystems, including estuaries, shall be protected and managed in order to derive the optimum benefit for all on a sustainable basis Durban Bay shall be protected and managed in order to enhance its ecological value, health value and linkages with the metropolitan area

Possible implementation strategies Investigating the establishment of a joint management authority for the coast, including all stakeholders Establishing a joint stakeholder forum for Durban Bay (harbour), involving the DMC, Portnet and other stakeholders Coastal management programmes and plans Land-use control instruments Policing of legislation on marine living resources