Namibia to host fisheries secretariat

NAMIBIA has been chosen to host the secretariat of the world’s first commission on the management of marine fisheries and eco-systems on a regional level.

The three member states of the Benguela Current Commission (BCC), Angola, Namibia and South Africa, met for the first time to discuss where the future secretariat would be housed, draft action plans to conserve and manage fish resources shared by all three countries and the budget required over the next three years. “The one-day meeting decided that the secretariat should be established in Namibia,” Albert Mbanga, Public Relations Officer at the Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resources, told The Namibian yesterday.”Namibia already hosts the Benguela Current Large Marine Ecosystem (BCLME) programme.Dr Mick O’Toole, who is the BCLME coordinator, will be the acting executive secretary for the BCC until a project coordinator has been appointed,” he said.The cold, but nutrient-rich Benguela Current from the Antarctic flows along the coastlines of South Africa, Namibia and Angola, which benefit from the fish stocks attracted by the nutrients.”We signed an agreement in Cape Town last year in August to establish such a regional body, the first one in the world,” said Fisheries and Marine Resources Minister Dr Abraham Iyambo on Friday.”I encourage other nations in the world which share marine resources to follow our example.Our three countries have over the past ten years started to work closely on fisheries management, marine research, environmental monitoring, biodiversity management and the protection of our coastal waters,” Minister Iyambo added.”The new Benguela Current Commission is another example.It should also look at how we are to adapt to the serious challenges posed by climate change and define long-term strategies for food security, employment and poverty alleviation for coastal communities.”An ecosystem advisory committee will also be established under the BCC to make recommendations on the way forward.The meeting was also attended by the Angolan Fisheries Minister Salomao Xirimbimbi, South Africa’s Minister of Environmental Affairs and Tourism, Martinus van Schalkwyk, Namibia’s Environment and Tourism Minister Willem Konjore and Deputy Mines and Energy Minister Henock ya Kasita.The BCC will be responsible the conservation of marine eco-systems and monitoring the impact of marine mining such as offshore diamond mining, oil and gas exploration in the Atlantic Ocean.”The first ministerial meeting sends out a strong signal that Angola, Namibia and South Africa are serious about managing their shared marine resources in a sustainable and integrated way,” said Dr O’Toole.The UN country coordinator for Namibia, Simon Nhongo, told the meeting that the UN and the Global Environment Facility (GEF) would provide budgetary support for the BCC to the tune of US$5 million (about N$35 million).Minister Iyambo at the same occasion called on the Secretariat of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) to hold a ministerial conference on illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing, which was decided on in 2002.”This will enable us to map out strategies how to protect our valuable and renewable fish resources to ensure abundant fish for generations to come,” Iyambo pointed out.According to experts, the coastal member states of SADC landed some 2,4 million tonnes of marine fish last year.In Namibia alone, the fisheries sector contributes about N$3,9 billion a year to the economy and is the second largest sector after mining.However, a study which was made public last month revealed that some 33 850 seabirds and 4 200 sea turtles are killed each year by commercial longline fishing in the BCLME area.Approximately 6,6 million sharks – one million alone in Namibian waters – are caught by pelagic longline fishing fleets as bycatches.Blue sharks and mako sharks are most affected.The study, which was conducted by BCLME experts, recommended that bird-scaring lines should be used and quotas set for shark catches.”The one-day meeting decided that the secretariat should be established in Namibia,” Albert Mbanga, Public Relations Officer at the Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resources, told The Namibian yesterday.”Namibia already hosts the Benguela Current Large Marine Ecosystem (BCLME) programme.Dr Mick O’Toole, who is the BCLME coordinator, will be the acting executive secretary for the BCC until a project coordinator has been appointed,” he said.The cold, but nutrient-rich Benguela Current from the Antarctic flows along the coastlines of South Africa, Namibia and Angola, which benefit from the fish stocks attracted by the nutrients.”We signed an agreement in Cape Town last year in August to establish such a regional body, the first one in the world,” said Fisheries and Marine Resources Minister Dr Abraham Iyambo on Friday.”I encourage other nations in the world which share marine resources to follow our example.Our three countries have over the past ten years started to work closely on fisheries management, marine research, environmental monitoring, biodiversity management and the protection of our coastal waters,” Minister Iyambo added.”The new Benguela Current Commission is another example.It should also look at how we are to adapt to the serious challenges posed by climate change and define long-term strategies for food security, employment and poverty alleviation for coastal communities.”An ecosystem advisory committee will also be established under the BCC to make recommendations on the way forward.The meeting was also attended by the Angolan Fisheries Minister Salomao Xirimbimbi, South Africa’s Minister of Environmental Affairs and Tourism, Martinus van Schalkwyk, Namibia’s Environment and Tourism Minister Willem Konjore and Deputy Mines and Energy Minister Henock ya Kasita.The BCC will be responsible the conservation of marine eco-systems and monitoring the impact of marine mining such as offshore diamond mining, oil and gas exploration in the Atlantic Ocean.”The first ministerial meeting sends out a strong signal that Angola, Namibia and South Africa are serious about managing their shared marine resources in a sustainable and integrated way,” said Dr O’Toole.The UN country coordinator for Namibia, Simon Nhongo, told the meeting that the UN and the Global Environment Facility (GEF) would provide budgetary support for the BCC to the tune of US$5 million (about N$35 million).Minister Iyambo at the same occasion called on the Secretariat of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) to hold a ministerial conference on illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing, which was decided on in 2002.”This will enable us to map out strategies how to protect our valuable and renewable fish resources to ensure abundant fish for generations to come,” Iyambo pointed out.According to experts, the coastal member states of SADC landed some 2,4 million tonnes of marine fish last year.In Namibia alone, the fisheries sector contributes about N$3,9 billion a year to the economy and is the second largest sector after mining.However, a study which was made public last month revealed that some 33 850 seabirds and 4 200 sea turtles are killed each year by commercial longline fishing in the BCLME area.Approximately 6,6 million sharks – one million alone in Namibian waters – are caught by pelagic longline fishing fleets as bycatches.Blue sharks and mako sharks are most affected.The study, which was conducted by BCLME experts, recommended that bird-scaring lines should be used and quotas set for shark catches.