LPM proposes sweeping fisheries reforms

The Landless People’s Movement (LPM) has tabled an ambitious set of proposals to overhaul Namibia’s fishing sector.

"Our interest is to make sure that every sector that can be assisted through the appropriate policies to create additional opportunities for our young people," LPM leader Bernadus Swartbooi said at a press briefing yesterday.

He added that the "sector deserves the attention and the necessary input".

Central to party's proposals is the creation of a formal, standing platform bringing together government and private sector scientists to jointly assess marine resources.

Swartbooi argued that current decision-making is undermined by a lack of coordination and trust between the two sides.

“There is a significant mistrust between the ministry scientists and the sector scientists, and a decent management of the resource requires that there be a structure, a formal structure, where the two of these institutions can meet,” he said.

He stressed that scientific collaboration is critical to sound policymaking. “You can’t just have the government deciding alone what the biomass is, and then whatever narrative the government pushes becomes the only narrative. It can’t be,” he said.

The party is proposing a two-year joint scientific investigation into Namibia’s marine ecosystem to produce findings that are accepted by both government and industry.

Aquaculture expansion

LPM also called for the expansion of Namibia’s aquaculture sector, arguing that current restrictions limit growth and job creation. “There is an unnecessary prohibition on the types of fish that must be brought into the country as part of the aquaculture sector. There are unnecessary restrictions,” Swartbooi said.

He pointed to the potential of diversifying fish species to improve yields and resilience. “Your tilapia, for instance, from Vietnam, is not affected by winter. It keeps on growing, it keeps on getting bigger and better,” he said.

Swartbooi criticised what he described as a fragmented approach to aquaculture development. “This poor man’s approach of something small here, something small there, in terms of the aquaculture sector, is not helping us to create value, create opportunity and create the necessary scalability,” he said.

Call for structural reforms

On illegal fishing, particularly along Namibia’s northern coastline, the party proposed the use of land-based drone technology to "monitor in quite specialised ways how these fishing vessels that are illegally entering our waters are conducting their operational theft".

Swartbooi suggested that such surveillance could support more targeted interventions by security forces. “You can first study them with drone-based technology, and then when you intervene with the defence forces, you have already obtained the methodology in which they are using a sophisticated approach to enter our waters,” he said.

The party further called for structural changes within parts of the fishing industry, including state-linked entities.

Swartbooi said Namibia must maximise the economic value of its marine resources. “It is about sustainability of the ecosystem, it is about sustainability of the sector,” he said.

He added that the fishing industry remains a key vehicle for employment and economic growth. “We will be championing the fishing sector together with the aquaculture sector as one of the strategic economic sectors where we can rebirth opportunities for young people."

Swartbooi confirmed that the party would formally submit its proposals to government leadership.