The Amathole Marine Protected Area comprises three sections. The Kei Mouth section runs from the Nyara River, south of Haga Haga to the Kei River mouth (excluding any estuary), and extends 3 nautical miles out to sea. Although officially proclaimed a reserve in 1984 and an MPA in 2011, the area was regarded as protected long before then.

In many coastal societies, oral traditions play an important role in conservation.  Stories, taboos, rituals, and ancestral knowledge are passed down through generations and often regulate when, where, and how people may fish or harvest marine resources. These traditions can function similarly to modern conservation systems by limiting overuse and protecting breeding grounds or sacred coastal spaces.

There are very few areas in South Africa which are protected by oral tradition.  Examples include Tsitsikamma Marine Protected Area, established in 1964, Africa’s oldest MPA . Stilbaai Marine Protected Area, where ancient stone fish traps known as visvywers reflect thousands of years of Indigenous coastal knowledge and sustainable harvesting practices. The Amathole Marine protected area which includes both Inniskilling, projected by isiXhosa cultural tradition, and the fact that the local skiboat club used to have a gentlemen’s agreement never to fish east of the Kei River.

Today, South Africa has a network of 42 MPAs that protect marine biodiversity while also recognising cultural and community connections to the ocean.