By Adolf Kaure.

The Public Relations Officer in the Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resources, Uaripi Katjiukua, recently confirmed that the ministry has reached employment agreements with 681 fishermen, who were left jobless since 2015.

The agreement will see the fishermen receive an eight metric tonne quota per person for hake under the government's employment redress programme.

"It is an active employment but the ministry is not entertaining the allowance per month type of employment for the fishermen," said Katjiukua. The fisheries minister also stated that a sufficient quota has been set aside for the unemployed fishermen.

The fishermen secured full-time jobs at Tunacor (180), Seaworks (119), Marlus (92) and Hangana (290) after the agreement was signed at Walvis Bay on 5 April.

"The same employment agreements are due to be entered with operators in the horse mackerel fisheries," she said.

This will see 1700 fishermen in total being re-employed.

The ministry will announce which horse mackerel companies will help with the employment once they have put pen to paper.

The fishermen are part of the group who lost their jobs in 2015 after an illegal strike.