14 July 2008
BRITAIN'S Minister of Trade and Development, Gareth Thomas, says Namibia is leading the way in tackling the menace of illegal fishing, and the United Kingdom (UK) will soon give several million dollars to fight against illegal fishing in Africa.
Thomas on Wednesday made a brief visit to Namibia to reaffirm the UK's commitment to help Namibia and other African countries tackle illegal fishing and support legitimate trade.
Thomas said every year N$7,7 billion was "snatched" from honest African fishermen by illegal fishers.
"That is why the UK has already provided more than N$7,7 million for plans to curtail pirate activities in southern Africa centred on the successful work already carried out in Namibia," he said.
"The UK will shortly finalise plans to give several million of dollars more.
"Thanks to some tough measures the legal fishing industry in Namibia (employing about 14 000 people) now accounts for 10 per cent (about N$4 billion) of Namibia's national income compared to less than 4 per cent at the time of independence," he said.
Namibia's major fish stocks are hake and horse mackerel, contributing about 30 per cent of Namibia's total export earnings.
Namibia is the biggest supplier of hake to the European Union, while being the only African nation to be part of the High Seas Task Force, an international alliance of nations and NGOs launched in 2003 that works to prevent illegal fishing around the world.
Thomas visited Hangana Seafood in Walvis Bay.
Hangana is the first Namibian company to receive the British Retail Consortium's trading certificate, which is recognised by most UK retailers and supermarkets as a mark of best practice on how to operate a food processing business.
The certification will allow Hangana to export to the UK for the first time.
The company is currently exporting 90 per cent of its fish to mainland Europe.
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