7.1. Concluding remarks
The study has reach ed the aim of pro vidin g recommend ation s tow ard s a site spec ific man agement plan for Protea Ban ks as a marine tourism resour ce based on the stake ho lde rs' opi nio ns . Obj ective 1,2,3a and4 have beenresponde d toin detai lbased on the opinions of the stakeho lde rs expressed in the semi-struc tured in-depth inter view s of key represent ati ves. Obj ect ive 3b conce rn ing user confli ct pro ved to be a very person al affair between two users. In order to prot ect the peopl e invol ved , and as a result of the primary data collect ed , the focu s of user conflict expande d to include other and less private sta keho lderconflic ts at the study area. Theexpected results fro mobjective5 were the opposi te of the actual result s as the maj orit y of stakeho lders were actua lly against the idea of a marin e protected area at Protea Banks. It would be an interestin g and recommend ed future study to furt her look into alterna tive marin e env iro nmenta l protection stra tegies forProtea Banks as a marine touri smresource and as a value in itself as amarin e ecosyste m.
Marine tou rism In South Africa has a uniqu e poten tial based on the wide variety of marine resources and the man y marine touri sm activities availab le. Marin e touri sm in South Africa is stillcond uctedon a relativelysma llscale,with the possibility of crea ting a sustaina ble ind ustry before potenti ally irre versible negative impacts occur. It is import an t to pro vide for a fair spec trum of marine recrea tional oppo rtunities. The acti vities must be man aged sustaina bly to ens ure that they wiII be available to enjoy in the future as wellas the presen t.
7.2. Recommendations towards a sitespecific management plan for Protea Banks
The results from the stakeholder interviews show a range of concerns from different user groups. The recommend ation s toward s a site spec ific man agement plan are based on these conce rns and other opinions stated by the stakeho lders . The recom mendati ons are as follows:
• Create a forum consisting of the direct stakeholders for the pwpose offriendly collaboration and discussion. A forum that can deal with potenti al presen t or future manageri al, enviro nmenta l, eco nomica l or othe r issue s with consen sus from allsta keho lde rs.
• The vast maj ority of thestakeholders are notinfavourofdeclaring ProteaBanks a Marine Protected Area, thus thisaction is not recomm ended. How ever, there areother marin e conse rva tiona lconce rns thatcould be discu ssed and put forwa rd tothe relevant authoriti es through a forum.
• Use the existing Code of Condu ct as self-regulatory instrum ents. There are severalexisting Cod es ofConducts developed and used bythe user groups. These could be regi stered (conse ns us need ed by allsta keho lde rs) and used as a display at the laun ching site to inform occasiona l users of the vario uscodes (forexample the sport fishermen ' s gentl em en agree ment and the dive code of condu ct conce rningshar k inter acti on).
• Codes ofConduct for the diff erent marin e activities at Protea Banks could be printed out and made available at the launching site, the Internet and other distr ibuti on sources to raise awareness ofthe local user guide lines.
• Some ofthe fishermen have started todive outof curios ity and genera l interest in the ocean. This cross o] activities could he positivefor all the different user groups . The fisher menexperience large amount of shar ksarou nd theirboat while fishing . It might be of interest for divers and other marin e touri sts to join the fish ermen for aday andobse rve shar ks fromthe boat.This mightalso ins pire to a closer relati onship,under standing andcollaboration between thedifferent users.
• There is no setcarrying capacit y or limited number ofboatsthatcan go out to the Protea Ban ks at any time. Con cern s have been expressed by differen t user gro ups. There is a need for a set carrying capacity, especially during peak
seaso ns. There is need for research in order to establish the sustainable limitof users.Theuser priority should be given tothe existingandestablished users.
• There are no scientific studies specificallyon Protea Banks. It is recomm ended that further site specific studies on the ma rine environme nt, socio-eco nomic environment and management ofProtea Banks is conducted with focus on the interest of the direct stakeholde rs.Thecost of the study, however,is a problem. Potential financial support could be found in the form of private-public collaboration, with input from aquariums, research organisations, authorities, NOO' s andother private companiesandorganisations.
• There is a significantgap inshark research in South Africa.It is recomm ended to conduct studies specifically on sharks, their abundance and behaviour and the generalstateoftheSouth African Shark species.
• There is a lack ofmari ne tourism research in South Africa andfurthe r studies are needed in order to both obtain baseline data and to ensure future sustainabilityofthemarineresources.
7.3. Final Comments
The controversial topic of sharks in South Africa, especially in association with marine tourism,needstobe addressed with further research.The gap inscientific researchneeds tobe filled inorder tobetter understandthe stateof the South African shark populations and the need for potential conservation initiatives. Specific shark behavioural studies are recommended,inaddition to sharkand diverinteraction.
Protea Banks is a unique dive site and recreational fishing location with many devoted user groups. Many of the users are very experienced and professional in for example diving or sport fishing and have valuable knowledge about the area. Thisknowledge must be considered in Protea Banks management and can also assist in further research. At present time there is no specific legislation but various guidelines or code of conduct
based on theusers' experience. Ifthere will be specific legislation in the future for Protea Banks, its principles need to be set byits users and direct stakeholders, in collaboration with marine scientists.