{"id":101415,"date":"2026-04-26T13:34:13","date_gmt":"2026-04-26T13:34:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/all-news\/call-for-probe-to-defuse-fish-stocks-row"},"modified":"2026-04-26T14:10:25","modified_gmt":"2026-04-26T14:10:25","slug":"call-for-probe-to-defuse-fish-stocks-row","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/all-news\/call-for-probe-to-defuse-fish-stocks-row","title":{"rendered":"Call for Probe to Defuse Fish Stocks Row"},"content":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press – Namibia. <\/strong><\/span>The Landless People\u2019s Movement has proposed a two-year investigation into Namibia\u2019s ocean fish stocks to enable the government to make informed decisions and stimulate job creation in the fishing sector.<\/b><\/p>\n

This follows a growing row between workers\u2019 organisations and the government over the reduction of the allowable catch.<\/p>\n

During her state of the nation address, president Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah acknowledged a general downward trend in key regulated species under the Total Allowable Catch system.<\/p>\n

She said recent scientific assessments indicate that several commercially important fish stocks are under strain despite the country\u2019s continued commitment to science-based fisheries management.<\/p>\n

According to the president, species such as monkfish are now fully processed locally, while hake processing has reached 80%, with full localisation expected in the near future.<\/p>\n

She said the fishing industry remains a critical pillar of Namibia\u2019s economy, contributing 4.1% to gross domestic product, generating N$14.3 billion in export earnings, and supporting more than 21 000 direct jobs.<\/p>\n

During her visitto Walvis Bay this week, she said the fishing industry is not what it used to be and warned of pressure on jobs and livelihoods.<\/p>\n

In March the Mining, Metal, Maritime and Construction Workers Union confirmed that the allowable horse mackerel catch for the 2026 season is set at 197 000 metric tonnes, down from 208 000 in 2025.<\/p>\n

At its press conference yesterday, Landless People\u2019s Movement leader Bernardus Swartbooi proposed an investigation, citing ongoing mistrust between government scientists and those in the fishing industry over \u201cbiomass\u201d estimates.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are proposing at least a two-year full joint scientific investigation into Namibia\u2019s ocean biomass, involving both government and private scientists, to ensure a shared methodology and findings that all parties can agree on,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

He explained that the initiative aims to support sound policy interventions, strengthen planning, and ensure the sector\u2019s sustainability and economic contribution.<\/p>\n

Swartbooi warned that failure to address the disagreement on fishing stocks between the government and the industry risks alienating stakeholders and undermining a sector that is internationally recognised.<\/p>\n

He pointed to conflicting estimates of sardine stocks, with the government previously placing the figure at around 850 000, while industry players estimate closer to one million.<\/p>\n

Swartbooi stressed the importance of ensuring sustainability, protecting jobs, and maintaining consistent resource availability.<\/p>\n

He also raised concerns about the country\u2019s seal population, estimated at between 1.4 million and four million, suggesting that controlled harvesting of seal bulls could help restore balance in ocean biomass.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen such population levels exist, regardless of the exact figure, it is excessive and must be managed to maintain balance in the marine ecosystem,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Swartbooi further called for stringent measures to control fishing quotas so that particular companies do not benefit to the exclusion of others.<\/p>\n

For More News And Analysis About Namibia<\/span> Follow Africa-Press<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press – Namibia. The Landless People\u2019s Movement has proposed a two-year investigation into Namibia\u2019s ocean fish stocks to enable the government to make informed decisions and stimulate job creation in the fishing sector. This follows a growing row between workers\u2019 organisations and the government over the reduction of the allowable catch. During her state of […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":84,"featured_media":101414,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,3,5],"tags":[233],"class_list":["post-101415","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-all-news","category-community","category-economy","tag-namibia"],"yoast_head":"\nCall for Probe to Defuse Fish Stocks Row - Namibia<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The Landless People\u2019s Movement has proposed a two-year investigation into Namibia\u2019s ocean fish stocks to enable the g ...\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/all-news\/call-for-probe-to-defuse-fish-stocks-row\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Call for Probe to Defuse Fish Stocks Row\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The Landless People\u2019s Movement has proposed a two-year investigation into Namibia\u2019s ocean fish stocks to enable the g ...\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/all-news\/call-for-probe-to-defuse-fish-stocks-row\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Namibia\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/AfricaPressTunisiaa\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-04-26T13:34:13+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-04-26T14:10:25+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/nambia\/sites\/29\/2026\/04\/sm_1777199784.885886.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"751\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"451\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"cfeditoren\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"cfeditoren\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/all-news\/call-for-probe-to-defuse-fish-stocks-row#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/all-news\/call-for-probe-to-defuse-fish-stocks-row\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"cfeditoren\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb\"},\"headline\":\"Call for Probe to Defuse Fish Stocks Row\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-04-26T13:34:13+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-04-26T14:10:25+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/all-news\/call-for-probe-to-defuse-fish-stocks-row\"},\"wordCount\":466,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/all-news\/call-for-probe-to-defuse-fish-stocks-row#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/nambia\/sites\/29\/2026\/04\/sm_1777199784.885886.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"namibia\"],\"articleSection\":[\"all news\",\"community\",\"economy\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/all-news\/call-for-probe-to-defuse-fish-stocks-row#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/all-news\/call-for-probe-to-defuse-fish-stocks-row\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/all-news\/call-for-probe-to-defuse-fish-stocks-row\",\"name\":\"Call for Probe to Defuse Fish Stocks Row - 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