Windhoek
Fisheries inspectors will soon have the power to arrest transgressors of the law, as a provision for them to become fully-fledged law officers has been gazetted.
Namibia will soon also introduce a closed fishing season, specifically for inland fishing, to allow fish stocks sufficient time to replenish their stocks.
These were some of the revelations made yesterday during a media briefing by Minister of Fisheries and Marine Resources, Bernhard Esau, when he introduced his new Permanent Secretary, Dr Moses Maurihungirire.
At the same event Esau spelled out the strategic aims of his ministry: “Our ministry remains one of the key economic ministries of our government. We are critical to socio-economic development for the benefit of our citizens, and importantly the realisation of sustainable economic empowerment of the vast majority of all our people through their direct and indirect participation in the fishing sector,” Esau said .
Lack of equipment
Elaborating on the role of fisheries inspectors, Esau said the directorate of operations within his ministry, where the inspectors are based, is not well-equipped, and in the past inspectors could not make arrests when they detected illegal fishing or people using prohibited equipment, such as mosquito nets to fish.
Now, these inspectors will be able to arrest culprits on the spot and will no longer have to wait for other law officers to detain offenders. On the equipment needed to support the directorate’s role, Esau said: “We are handicapped, but we have made provision in the budget for a hovercraft. The craft is on its way and once it is here it will greatly assist in our ability to curb illegal fishing and illegal activities,” he said.
Discrimination
Responding to questions from New Era, Esau expressed his concern about collateral loans granted to certain rights holders by financial institutions.
“Some people get collateral and some don’t. Why are financial institutions discriminating against certain quota holders? We need to engage these financial institutions to get to the bottom of this discrimination for them to be consistent across the board,” said Esau.
Strategic intent
Regarding the ministry’s strategic intent, the PS and the Minister explained that this will be guided by ensuring responsible management of marine resources and the development of the aquaculture sector.
“We need to ensure that our country remains the most sought-after fishing destination in the world and we must ensure that we remain a leader in the selected product markets in which we have a comparative advantage, like hake, horse mackerel, etc,” the minister said.
Other strategies that will guide the ministry include value-addition to local resources to create sustainable employment, ensuring sustainable revenue to fiscus, as well as ensuring operational excellence.
Marine Phosphate
Esau also commented on the contentious phosphate mining issue, saying an inter-ministerial committee is needed to address the concerns. He will reveal a legal opinion on the moratorium that lapsed earlier this year once he has discussed his stance with other relevant ministries.