Staff Reporter
THE Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Land Reform has raised concern about the increase in illegal pilchard fishing in Namibian waters, despite a three-year ban imposed on the fishing of the species.
The fisheries minister, Inge Zaamwani, explained that currently, there is no targeted pilchard fishing taking place due to a moratorium imposed in 2018.
“This moratorium was necessitated by three consecutive years of zero biomass, indicating critically low stock levels. Therefore, the moratorium remains crucial to facilitate the recovery of the pilchard population to biologically sustainable levels. It further underscores the Government’s unwavering commitment to the long-term sustainability of Namibia’s marine resources. While recent surveys show a positive recovery trend, with the current pilchard stock estimated at 850,000 metric tons, it remains below the one-million-metric-ton scientific sustainable spawner biomass target. Given that the pilchard fishery is a relatively short-lived species, their population is highly susceptible to environmental factors that can lead to significant mortality,” Zaamwani said.
She added that the ministry acknowledges concerns raised regarding pilchard bycatch and has formally engaged the fishing industry to express its concern regarding the increasing volume of pilchard bycatch.
Zaamwani added that the Fisheries Observer Agency receives reports concerning alleged vessels involved in the illegal fishing of pilchard and that they escalate these to Monitoring, Control, and Surveillance for thorough investigation and appropriate action.
“In addition, on-board observers, when they observed increased volumes of pilchard, directed vessels to relocate to alternative fishing grounds, and these directives have been complied with. However, despite our efforts, a notable number of vessels catching pilchard persist across various areas, which underscores the complexities of bycatch management. The observable increase in pilchard landings offers reasonable grounds to suggest that this bycatch may not always be unintentional, but rather a deliberate act. This directly impacts the recovery efforts for this crucial species, and we have expressly communicated this to the fishing industry,” Zaamwani said.
She added that it is reasonable to state that current enforcement measures and associated penalties are proving insufficient to deter illegal fishing of pilchard.
“The Ministry is, therefore, actively exploring a range of measures to enhance compliance within our fisheries subsector. These include, but are not limited to, revision of the current moratorium, implementing stricter bycatch limits, revising the landed value of species to deter pilchard bycatch, deploying more advanced monitoring and surveillance systems, and a significant revision of the current penalty regime to introduce tougher penalties for non-compliance. In addition, the Ministry plans to consult internally with our scientists with a view to conduct a targeted pilchard stock assessment to determine the biomass. These efforts are designed to ensure that bycatch regulations are respected and that the recovery of Namibia’s pilchard stock is not compromised. I urge all industry stakeholders to support these efforts in the best interest of our nation,” Zaamwani said.
Picture for illustrative purposes only.
