KATIMA MULILO – Masubia Ngambela Raphael Mbala has issued a strong warning over the rapid depletion of fish stocks in the Zambezi River system, calling for urgent, coordinated intervention between traditional authorities and government.
Speaking during an interview with New Era this week, Mbala painted a grim picture of collapsing fish stocks in the Zambezi River and its surrounding water channels, locally known as kasias.
“Even when you use small nets, you cannot catch anything. Wire gorges are destroying everything – from small fish to eggs and even water lilies,” he said.
According to Mbala, destructive and illegal fishing methods are accelerating the crisis, threatening both biodiversity and livelihoods in one of Namibia’s most water-rich regions.
Mbala urged a united response involving the regional governor, police, navy, the Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resources, and traditional leaders.
“All must join forces to stop overfishing,” he stressed.
He warned that failure to act decisively would undermine food security and deepen poverty in rural communities that depend heavily on fishing.
For many households in Zambezi, particularly in Kabbe South and surrounding floodplains, fishing is not a commercial luxury – it is survival.
Mbala linked fish depletion directly to rising hardship.
“People are very poor. If the river cannot feed them anymore, what alternative do they have?” he said.
He further argued that conservation must go together with community participation.
“You cannot impose development. People must participate,” he added.
The Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resources has in recent years intensified inland fisheries controls in the Zambezi Region, particularly along the Chobe-Zambezi floodplain system.
Key measures include seasonal fishing bans during breeding periods to allow fish stocks to recover. The government has also been confiscating illegal gear, especially monofilament nets and wire gorges, which indiscriminately trap juvenile fish.
Other measures include joint patrols involving fisheries inspectors, the Namibian Police and the Namibian Navy to curb cross-border poaching.
Equally, there have been community awareness campaigns encouraging sustainable fishing practices.
Other methods are licensing and mesh-size regulations aimed at protecting immature fish from harvest.
Authorities have repeatedly warned that illegal methods – particularly small-mesh nets and wire-based traps – contribute significantly to stock collapse by destroying breeding cycles.
The Zambezi-Chobe river system is shared with neighbouring countries such as Zambia and Botswana, making enforcement complex and requiring cross-border cooperation under regional fisheries agreements within the SADC framework.
Freshwater fish harvested from Lake Liambezi and the Zambezi River in the Zambezi region are exported in high volumes to Zambia and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).
The trade is a significant economic activity for local fishermen, with many fish transported in 50 kg bags via the Katima border post (between Namibia and Zambia) and onwards to the Kasumbalesa border post (between Zambia and the DRC).
As fish stocks dwindle, Mbala’s call signals growing pressure on authorities to strengthen enforcement while empowering communities to protect one of the Zambezi Region’s most vital natural resources.