Sardine recovery untenable without strict measures

Namibia’s fishing industry faces long-term risk unless firm measures are enforced to rebuild sardine (pilchard) stocks, which scientists described as a “key component in the system” of the Benguela ecosystem.

Speaking at the Ocean in Focus Symposium in Swakopmund, Namibian National Marine Information and Research Centre (NatMIRC) deputy director Chris Bartholomae warned that recovery depends on strict controls on bycatch, cross-border fishing and enforceable management plans.

“But if we don't do it properly, forget about recovering that resource,” he said.

The warning came during a two-day gathering of government, industry, researchers and civil society aimed at aligning science with policy decisions for Namibia’s marine and coastal environment. Rudi Cloete, fisheries ministry director for aquaculture and inland fisheries, said the goal was to leave with “a shared understanding of the state of our marine environment, agreed research and investment priorities, stronger science policy linkages and a clear roadmap that will inform a symposium report and a policy brief."

He added: “The blue economy cannot be built on extraction alone".

Pre-independence

Bartholomae framed sardine recovery as central to restoring productivity in the Benguela upwelling system. He said the impact extends beyond the small pelagic sector, linking sardine recovery directly to Namibia’s hake industry.

“If sardine would recover, you would immediately see that hake biomass will definitely go up a level or two,” he said.

He pointed to historic sardine landings that “peaked at around 1.4 million tonnes in the mid-60s”, compared to last year’s “emergency TAC… at 10 000”, which he said represents “0.7% of that total”.

“Sardine is unfortunately one of the key components in the system. Without that, you can basically not convert the huge amount of primary productivity into fish or protein that is then redistributed into the system,” he stressed.

He traced the collapse of the stock to the pre-independence period when Namibia’s waters were effectively open access.

“There was no EEZ. There was no control. So it was a free-for-all," he said, adding that foreign fleets “caught what they wanted" before independence introduced a 200-nautical-mile exclusive economic zone and science-based management.

Despite these controls and a moratorium introduced around 2016, sardine has not recovered. Bartholomae linked this to pressures that can be managed, including bycatch in the horse mackerel fishery, illegal fishing and cross-border harvesting when sardine shifts north.

“Why it's been so low, it's because of the bycatch… A lot of sardines went into that,” he said.

Bartholomae said pressure is growing from parts of the midwater sector to move shoreward of the 200-metre isobath into the nearshore nursery zone – the shallow inshore waters where juvenile fish concentrate – warning that doing so could undermine recovery efforts.

“That’s extremely risky… that’s something that shouldn't happen,” he said, adding that the restriction was never formally gazetted and should be strengthened through regulation.

Bartholomae said regional cooperation is essential because sardine stocks move across national borders.

“It doesn't help we have a moratorium and the industry fishing in Angola… it’s counterproductive,” he said, arguing that stronger agreements facilitated through the Benguela Current Commission are needed.

The human factor

Neville Sway, a scientist from Stellenbosch University, said sardine recovery is “the linchpin to changing the whole regime”.

He questioned whether society is prepared to accept economic sacrifices needed to allow stocks to rebuild.

Bartholomae said economic modelling is required to demonstrate potential gains and timelines but argued that recovery does not require shutting down the entire industry.

“Sardine is at the moment showing some signs of recovery, but you have to limit all bycatches,” he said.

NatMIRC director Graca D’Almeida emphasised that fisheries management must balance ecological recovery with employment realities – the "human factor". She said management plans should define thresholds that determine when fishing stops, when it is limited and when quotas can increase.

The symposium also highlighted structural challenges beyond stock recovery.

Organisers described Namibia’s marine knowledge as “uneven” and “fragmented”, with some datasets remaining unanalysed for years. Bartholomae warned that the absence of a structured scientific career path risks losing expertise as senior scientists retire.

“There’s no scientific career in the government… in three years’ time many of our senior people are leaving,” he said.