In a conference on fisheries and aquaculture, Minister of Fisheries and Marine Resources, Dr Abraham Iyambo, pointed out that even though government faced the task of transforming the fishing industry at independence, it has done well to create an industry that is pro-value addition, pro-efficiency and pro-job creation.
It is fact that Namibia has one of the most productive fishing grounds in the world, principally due to the Benguela current system, one of four eastern boundary upwelling systems in the world. It is told that the upwelling nature of the Benguela current system supports a diverse and healthy population of fish. Iyambo explained that the rich fishery resources off the Namibian coast were mercilessly plundered over a hundred years, through fishing, whaling, guano collection, and seal hunting activities.
According to Iyambo to deal with the situation, the Namibian Parliament swiftly passed the economic Exclusive Zone Act in 1990, and a milestone Sea Fisheries Act in 1992, instruments that served the country well as a compass. He told that the management was based on the granting of fishing rights, selling of total allowable catches and allocation of quotas as dictated by scientific and commercial imperatives.
It is said that the efforts are paying off as impressive superior quality products are now produced by factories in Walvis Bay and Lüderitz, meeting stringent standards required by the most discerning markets. The WTO requirement that any trade agreement must include reciprocity also opens the country to full competition. Namibia’s commercial fishing industry is worth an estimated US$389 million.
