The fishing industry is awaiting the allocation of a recently approved 10 000-tonne pilchard quota, with concerns over timing as the stock migrates towards Angolan waters.
The Cabinet two weeks ago approved a total allowable catch (TAC) of 10 000 tonnes for government objectives for the remainder of the 2025 fishing season.
The industry has, however, not been notified as to who will catch this quota.
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The Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries ,Water And Land Reform did not respond to questions sent last week.
The quota is expected to secure 1 800 jobs in the wet-landed pelagic sector.
The Wet-Landed Small Pelagic Association is also waiting for a response to a letter its chairperson, Johny Doeseb, sent on 1 August. In the letter, seen by The Namibian and confirmed by Doeseb, the association requests that the quota be given to the three companies that currently operate wet-landed vessels and have canning facilities for pilchards.
The association asks that the quota be allocated soon, because of the species' current movement northbound into Angolan waters.
"Timely commencement of the catching operation is essential to ensure the resource is harvested while still within the proximity of Walvis Bay-based processing facilities," Doeseb writes.
He says timely allocation is critical to enable Etosha Fishing, Gendev and Princess Brand to commence fishing operations without delay.
"While we fully support the approved total TAC as a positive and necessary development, we are of the view that a higher TAC - closer to 30 000 tonnes - would have produced more immediate socio-economic benefits, especially in terms of current employment and food security," he says.
Doeseb says a conservative allocation of 60 000 tonnes, which is less than around 9% to 10% of the estimated biomass, would be ideal as it is consistent with international best practices.
"This could have generated over 625 additional direct jobs, with further employment opportunities over the medium to long term.
The association remains steadfast in its commitment to responsible and sustainable fisheries management, and we are prepared to continue engaging with the relevant authorities to ensure the pilchard fishery develops in a way that maintains ecological sustainability while maximising socio-economic returns," he says.
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Doeseb also questions the process and criteria used to allocate quota.
ENFORCING THE LAW
The pilchard species has been under pressure for years, following decades of over-fishing.
Fisheries minister Inge Zaamwani-Kamwi in June announced that the current pilchard stock is estimated at 850 000 tonnes.
This, she said, remains below the one-million tonne scientific sustainable spawner biomass target.
The minister acknowledged that there have been concerns of a big pilchard by-catch in recent months, which was also reported by the Fisheries Observer Agency.
The minister said despite the ministry's efforts, a notable number of vessels catching pilchard persists across various areas. Last week the Cabinet approved new stringent measures to manage by-catch.
The ministry will now enforce a strict 2% by-catch threshold, and companies found exceeding this limit will face heavy financial penalties and will also be required to forfeit the excess by-catch.
Additionally, the ministry will also impose a by-catch fee of between 15% and 50%, and will suspend or revoke the licences of repeat offenders.
The ministry will also impose quota deductions or seize fishing vessels in case of serious breaches.
