FISHING Namibia ranks among the top marine fishing countries in Africa and the industry is the country’s largest export earner after mining. The Bank of Namibia (BoN) revised the projected growth of the fishing and fish processing on board sector downwards from 6.1% growth in 2019 to a negative growth of 4.3% in 2020 in its April 2020 Economic Outlook. Lower fish landings than in previous years as a result of the impact of COVD-19 and the continued uncertainty about the Fisheries and Marine Resources ministry’s fishing policy and the allocation of fishing quotas are the most likely causes of the reversal in the industry’s performance. The BoN, however, projected growth of 2.3% in 2021.
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he fishing sector in Namibia can be divided into two sectors: the marine fisheries and aquaculture. The marine fisheries consist of the pelagic, mid-water, demersal and deep-water fisheries. Total allowable catches (TACs) and quotas for five marine fish and two crustacean species are determined annually by the Minister of Fisheries and Marine Resources on the advice of the Marine Resources Advisory Council. The lengthy delay in the announcement of the successful applicants for 120 fishing rights caused considerable uncertainty among fishing companies at the start of 2019. Fisheries and Marine Resources Minister Bernhardt Esau attributed the delay on several occasions to the time required to evaluate the 5 176 applications received by the closing date on 30 July 2018. By early November 2019, more than 15 months after the closing date, the names of the successful right holders had not been announced. Then, on 13 November, Esau, Justice Minister Sackey Shangala, and four alleged accomplices were accused of receiving bribes of N$150 million in exchange for awarding lucrative quotas to an Icelandic fishing company. The two ministers resigned shortly afterwards and were arrested with their accomplices on 23 November and charged with corruption and several other misdemeanours.
Several fishing companies have invested in onshore factories and other facilities in the past five years to meet the target of 70% onshore value addition of horse mackerel in the Fifth National Development Plan (NDP5). The target for value addition for the 2018/19 fishing season was set at 35%. Monk fish is caught as a target species or as a bycatch of the hake fishery. The TAC for the 2019/20 season which extends from 1 May to 30 April the following year was set at 7 200 mt – down from 8 000 mt for the 2018/19 season and 9 600 tonnes for the 2017/18 season. There are no quotas for kingklip and sole which are mainly caught as by-catches of the hake and monk fisheries. Other species such as angel fish, reds, John Dory, and jacopever are also caught as by-catches and processed into various products for the exported market or made available locally. The moratorium on pilchard catches remains in place in 2020, pending the outcome of extensive studies on the pilchard stock. The decision to impose a three-year moratorium from 2018 to 2020 was taken after scientists and environmentalists expressed serious concern about the declining pilchard stock. The quota was reduced from 25 000 mt in 2015 to 14 000 mt in 2016 and 10 000 mt in 2017 when only 3 400 mt was landed.
Hake, a mid-water and demersal species, is the most important fisheries resource in terms of value and export earnings. The TAC for the hake fishing season, which stretches from 1 November to 30 September the following year, remained unchanged at 154 000 mt for the 2019/2020 season. The target of 70% value addition for the hake fishery for the 2018/19 fishing season was maintained. Chilled fresh hake is airlifted to markets in Europe, while a variety of processed products such as high-value loins, fillets and baby hake are also available. Spain, the main export destination, accounts for close to 50% of total exports and also serves as a centre for export to other European Union (EU) countries. The horse mackerel TAC for 2020 was decreased from 349 000 tonnes to 330 000 tonnes. The season extends from 1 January to 31 December. Horse mackerel, locally also known as maasbanker, is the most important species by volume and accounts for about 66% of the total annual catches. This affordable fish is high in protein and rich in omega 3 and is exported to several African countries.
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Several fishing companies have invested in onshore factories and other facilities in the past five years to meet the target of 70% onshore value addition of horse mackerel in the Fifth National Development Plan (NDP5).