Renewed hope for recovery of pilchard industry

A RESEARCH vessel will be sent out next week to an area off the coast from Wlotzkasbaken to evaluate a large shoal of pilchard spotted there recently.

This announcement was made on Friday by Fisheries and Marine Resources Minister Abraham Iyambo. The find was contrary to the findings of the last research vessel that went out in April, which reported that there was hardly any pilchard stock left in Namibian waters.Other assessments indicated that there were pilchards, but too close to the shore for the research vessel to explore and record.In the meantime, while the period to fill the current pilchard quota is coming to an end at the end of July, large quantities of pilchard by-catches – believed to be of good standard – were offloaded at Walvis Bay last week.These by-catches will be processed by the fishmeal industry rather than the more lucrative canning industry.The pilchard industry is still waiting for a Cabinet announcement of the next season’s fishing quota.Minister Iyambo said the quota could be reconsidered, depending on the findings of the research vessel next week.The find was contrary to the findings of the last research vessel that went out in April, which reported that there was hardly any pilchard stock left in Namibian waters.Other assessments indicated that there were pilchards, but too close to the shore for the research vessel to explore and record.In the meantime, while the period to fill the current pilchard quota is coming to an end at the end of July, large quantities of pilchard by-catches – believed to be of good standard – were offloaded at Walvis Bay last week.These by-catches will be processed by the fishmeal industry rather than the more lucrative canning industry.The pilchard industry is still waiting for a Cabinet announcement of the next season’s fishing quota.Minister Iyambo said the quota could be reconsidered, depending on the findings of the research vessel next week.