Breede River Estuary

The Breede River Estuary is the lower section of the 322km long Breede River from where it enters the Indian Ocean in San Sebastian Bay (7km north of Cape Infanta) to 50km upriver. It falls within the warm-temperate biogeographical region and is the 3rd largest in the region. The Breede has a high botanical rating (5th), rich intertidal invertebrate fauna and an important nursery area for Dusky kob and Spotted grunter. The Breede ranks in the top 20 estuaries in South Africa in terms of conservation importance and contains 40% of the nursery habitat on the south coast.

The estuarine health index category for this system is B/C which means this estuary is shifting from a largely natural system to one that is moderately modified. The recommended ecological condition for the Breede is B (largely natural/few changes).

A popular tourist destination, the Breede River Estuary faces several threats: flow modification, exploitation of living resources, bank erosion, alien invasive fish and vegetation (aquatic and terrestrial plants), pollution, high fishing effort and loss of riparian vegetation.