Searcher admits 'deficiencies' in consultation with fishers over seismic survey

Searcher recognises there were "deficiencies" in a previous consultation process for a proposed seismic survey off the West Coast, says the geoscience data company's Robin Sutherland.

Sutherland was speaking at a pre-colloquium on the co-existence of the upstream petroleum and fishing industries on Thursday. The event, hosted by Arena Holdings, is organised by the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy (DMRE) and the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and Environment (DFFE).

It comes a day before Mineral Resources and Energy Minister Gwede Mantashe will engage with fishing communities in the Western Cape about developing the domestic oil and gas industry, which government sees as a means of socioeconomic development.