Illegal fishing threatens Hardap's fish population

At the start of the year, 2 601 kilograms of fish were caught by shore anglers during a competition at the Hardap Dam.

In October, only 457 kilograms were caught by the same number of people, showing a clear decline in the number of fish at the dam.

Concerned parties blame poaching on the declining number of fish at the dam.

According to Leon Diedericks, the vice-president of the Namibia Freshwater Bank Angling Association (NFBAA), poaching has been taking place at the dam for the past two years.

"It started two years ago, but it is on the rise. We can only fish in certain areas because there is not much shoreline at the dam. The nets and longlines lie there where we catch. These are lines with 150 hooks and gill nets, which are illegal anyway. The nets are taken out in the morning and afternoon and all the fish, from small to large, are caught."

Uncontrolled illegal fishing

It is alleged that a boat belonging to the fisheries ministry is used to put the nets out and pull them back in.

The fish are loaded and taken to shore, where a bakkie, allegedly with a government licence plate, picks up the fish and drives away.

Morne Prenn, NFBAA spokesperson, said: "We have confronted the people many times and each time their stories are different. They have no permits or papers, making them illegal. They have claimed that they have been instructed by the ministry to catch fish for the hungry people.

"Then they had to catch fish so that the Covid-19 patients could eat, and finally they had to catch fish for the Independence celebrations that took place in Mariental.

"We called all the offices in Windhoek and they again said that all fish that are harvested are for research. Two years of fishing every day with nets for research? Then the nets are still illegal, something that one would expect the ministry to know."

According to them, tonnes of fish are hauled out illegally.

"When we hold a competition, there are about 80 people fishing with two rods with bait, and we catch an average of 1.5 tonnes between us. Now you take a net and a longline that is taken out twice a day."

Wider impact

Concerned stakeholders pointed out the potential loss of income for Namibia Wildlife Resorts (NWR), which manages the Hardap recreation area, should angling competitions be halted due to the lack of fishing opportunities.

"We have six competitions. This does not include the training and development weekends. When we have the Zone 5 competition, it also includes people from South Africa. That's a lot of people who need accommodation."

Legal overview

Prenn said "we understand if people catch fish for themselves, but then it must be legal. When we fish, we must have a permit. So they must also have a legal permit or permission letter. Catch with legal nets and not in our fishing area."

He said it’s time to "sit around a table and discuss the situation and find a solution."

Feedback

"As highlighted, we are in no position to be able to answer any of the questions regarding activities at the dam, because we play no role in the dam," Nelson Ashipala, NWR spokesperson, said.

Johannes Amukwaya, the deputy director for aquaculture and inland fishing in the ministry of fisheries and marine resources, said that they must investigate whether it is indeed their boat and workers and that he will respond to questions soonest.

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