President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah has admitted that the country’s fish stocks are declining.
Delivering her state of the nation address yesterday, Nandi-Ndaitwah said there is a general downward trend in the main regulated species for total allowable catch (TAC), signalling pressure on the sector’s sustainability.
“While the country continues with science-based fisheries management, recent stock assessments reveal that several key commercial species are under increasing pressure,” the president said.
She said this shows the need for adaptive management and strengthened conservation efforts to protect the future of the fisheries sector, and the livelihoods linked to it.
“A review of harvesting control rules for all sub-sectors has begun. And also, we are working on developing management plans for all TAC regulated species,” she said.
A 2024 horse mackerel and small pelagic survey revealed an 8% decline in horse mackerel biomass, a fragile recovery for sardines, and operational setbacks worsened by environmental anomalies.
The survey, conducted between March and April annually along the northern Benguela ecosystem, assessed species abundance, biomass, and distribution to guide sustainable fishing practices for the subsequent year’s fishing season.
Nandi-Ndaitwah said the government is continuing with local value addition in the industry through the 70:30 policy ratio, which requires fish quotas to be processed onshore to create jobs.
According to her, monk is now processed 100% locally, while hake stands at 80%, with full local processing expected soon.
The fishing sector contributes 4.1% to gross domestic product, generating N$14.3 billion in exports, and supporting more than 21 000 direct jobs across the value chain.
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