Protecting fish stocks takes priority over jobs, ministry says

The fisheries ministry says it will not increase fishing quotas to protect jobs and companies if fish stocks cannot support higher catches.

The ministry was responding to concerns over reduced allocations to Carapau Fishing Company and questions about how fishing companies are expected to maintain operations and employment when the quotas decline.

Ministry spokesperson Romeo Muyunda told Namibian Sun on Tuesday that Carapau had not been singled out, explaining that lower allocations were primarily a consequence of the total allowable catches (TACs) determined for individual fishing seasons.

“This is therefore not a reduction targeted at Carapau Fishing Company or any particular right holder, but reflects the overall availability of the resource,” Muyunda explained.

He said government recognises that lower allocations could affect fishing operations and jobs, but stressed that quotas could not be increased beyond levels supported by scientific data.

“The ministry acknowledges that reduced allocations may have operational and socio-economic consequences, including shorter fishing periods and potential implications for employment,” Muyunda said.

He said the ministry had a responsibility to balance those concerns with the need to protect the resource and ensure its long-term sustainability.

"Increasing allocations beyond levels supported by scientific assessments would risk further deterioration of the stocks and could ultimately have more serious and lasting consequences for companies, employees and the fishing industry as a whole,” he said.

Muyunda said total allowable catches are based on scientific stock assessments and recommendations on the condition of individual fish stocks, with the aim of ensuring sustainable use and the long-term viability of Namibia’s marine resources.

“Over recent years, the TACs for the various commercially harvested species have generally been on a declining trajectory,” he said.

Several species have, on average, experienced population declines of at least 5%, he noted.

As a result, when the overall total allowable catch falls, the amount available for distribution to individual rights holders also declines.

Muyunda also addressed concerns about quotas being allocated to companies that do not own their own vessels or fishing infrastructure, saying vessel ownership is not necessarily a legal requirement for using a fishing right or quota.

“Right holders may utilise their allocations through lawful arrangements such as chartering, provided that such arrangements comply with the applicable fisheries legislation and conditions,” he said.

Government’s focus on jobs

Pressure to preserve fishing jobs is particularly significant because government has itself used fishing quotas as an employment-protection mechanism through the Government Employment Redress Programme.

The programme was established following a 2020 Cabinet directive to facilitate the re-employment of fishermen who had lost their jobs through retrenchments, abandonment and industrial disputes, with participating companies expected to provide permanent employment aboard vessels, in processing factories or elsewhere in the fisheries supply chain.

By June 2025, fisheries minister Inge Zaamwani said 2 414 people had been employed through the programme, including 1 770 in the hake subsector and 471 in horse mackerel operations.

The programme remains active, with government announcing in March that 222 former Walu Fishing employees would be absorbed by four fishing companies, which would receive employment-redress quotas corresponding to the number of workers they take on.

At the same time, questions have emerged over whether all companies receiving quotas specifically intended to support employment have delivered the jobs expected under the programme.

Five months ago, labour minister Wise Immanuel ordered an audit of the government’s fishing quota redress programme amid claims that some companies had received quotas without creating the jobs.

The audit, undertaken in consultation with the fisheries ministry, is intended to establish a clear and accurate picture of the fishing industry and the implementation of the redress programme.

“Going forward, we want to make sure that quotas allocated under the redress programme are assigned after we have a comprehensive understanding of what is happening in the fishing sector,” Immanuel said.

His intervention followed growing complaints from Okapare fishermen, who alleged that some companies holding quotas under the redress initiative had failed to provide employment or pay fishermen.

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