SADC clamps down on illegal fishing

By: * ELMA ROBBERTS

NAMIBIA'S fisheries patrol vessel Nathaniel Maxuilili returned to Walvis Bay on Monday after completing a three-week patrol in Namibian and Angolan waters.

Off Angola, the Nathaniel Maxuilili was joined by Angola's patrol

vessels, Temerario and Preservado.

Seven fishing vessels were inspected by a team of Namibian and

Angolan fisheries inspectors and eight fines were issued.

 

The bilateral fisheries patrol was co-ordinated by the Southern

African Development Community's Monitoring, Control and

Surveillance (MCS) Programme.

 

The Programme - which is based in Windhoek and funded by SADC

and the European Union (EU) - is helping Namibia, Angola, South

Africa, Mozambique and Tanzania to improve the management of marine

resources by providing training and technical assistance to the

government agencies that monitor and control fishing activity.

 

Its ultimate goal is to tackle illegal, unregulated and

unreported fishing in southern Africa.

 

The recent voyage by the Nathaniel Maxuilili is the second joint

fisheries patrol to be undertaken by Namibian in the past two

months.

 

In June, the country's newest patrol vessel, Anna Kakurukaze

Mungunda, was involved in a joint patrol with South Africa.

 

Over a 15-day period, a team of Namibian and South African

inspectors boarded and inspected 14 Namibian and 13 South African

fishing vessels.

 

All of the vessels inspected in South African waters were

compliant with fisheries regulations, but four Namibian-registered

ships were fined, each of them for small infringements such as not

carrying mandatory documentation.

 

The inspected vessels were fishing legally for hake off the west

coast of South Africa and Namibia.

 

Most were bottom trawlers, but five longliners were also

inspected.

 

At the same time that Namibia has been involved in bilateral

patrols on the west coast of southern Africa, South Africa has

undertaken a fisheries patrol on the east coast, with the support

of the SADC Monitoring, Control and Surveillance programme.

 

The flagship in South Africa's fleet of four fishery patrol

vessels, Sarah Baartman, recently completed a month-long patrol in

the waters of South Africa, Mozambique and Tanzania.

 

During this period, over 50 fishing boats were boarded and

inspected by a team of South African, Mozambican and Tanzanian

inspectors.

 

Off Mozambique, most of the vessels were fishing for prawns; one

was fined for fishing in a prohibited area and another two boats

were fined for infringing fishing regulations.

 

Off Tanzania, the licences of several foreign tuna vessels were

scrutinised and the boats were inspected to see that they complied

with fisheries regulations.

 

According to Carlos Palin, Programme Manager of the SADC

Monitoring, Control and Surveillance Programme, one of the most

positive outcomes of the joint fisheries patrols is that inspectors

from the five SADC countries learn to work together and thereby lay

the groundwork for future co-operation in monitoring, control and

surveillance activities.

 

"The patrols have also provided an important platform for

training fisheries inspectors in boarding procedures and other

aspects of inspecting fishing vessels at sea, says Palin.

 

"They provide a united, harmonised and co-ordinated front

against illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing."

 

Seven fishing vessels were inspected by a team of Namibian and

Angolan fisheries inspectors and eight fines were issued.The

bilateral fisheries patrol was co-ordinated by the Southern African

Development Community's Monitoring, Control and Surveillance (MCS)

Programme.The Programme - which is based in Windhoek and funded by

SADC and the European Union (EU) - is helping Namibia, Angola,

South Africa, Mozambique and Tanzania to improve the management of

marine resources by providing training and technical assistance to

the government agencies that monitor and control fishing

activity.Its ultimate goal is to tackle illegal, unregulated and

unreported fishing in southern Africa.The recent voyage by the

Nathaniel Maxuilili is the second joint fisheries patrol to be

undertaken by Namibian in the past two months.In June, the

country's newest patrol vessel, Anna Kakurukaze Mungunda, was

involved in a joint patrol with South Africa.Over a 15-day period,

a team of Namibian and South African inspectors boarded and

inspected 14 Namibian and 13 South African fishing vessels.All of

the vessels inspected in South African waters were compliant with

fisheries regulations, but four Namibian-registered ships were

fined, each of them for small infringements such as not carrying

mandatory documentation.The inspected vessels were fishing legally

for hake off the west coast of South Africa and Namibia.Most were

bottom trawlers, but five longliners were also inspected. At the

same time that Namibia has been involved in bilateral patrols on

the west coast of southern Africa, South Africa has undertaken a

fisheries patrol on the east coast, with the support of the SADC

Monitoring, Control and Surveillance programme.The flagship in

South Africa's fleet of four fishery patrol vessels, Sarah

Baartman, recently completed a month-long patrol in the waters of

South Africa, Mozambique and Tanzania.During this period, over 50

fishing boats were boarded and inspected by a team of South

African, Mozambican and Tanzanian inspectors.Off Mozambique, most

of the vessels were fishing for prawns; one was fined for fishing

in a prohibited area and another two boats were fined for

infringing fishing regulations.Off Tanzania, the licences of

several foreign tuna vessels were scrutinised and the boats were

inspected to see that they complied with fisheries regulations.

According to Carlos Palin, Programme Manager of the SADC

Monitoring, Control and Surveillance Programme, one of the most

positive outcomes of the joint fisheries patrols is that inspectors

from the five SADC countries learn to work together and thereby lay

the groundwork for future co-operation in monitoring, control and

surveillance activities."The patrols have also provided an

important platform for training fisheries inspectors in boarding

procedures and other aspects of inspecting fishing vessels at sea,

says Palin."They provide a united, harmonised and co-ordinated

front against illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing."

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