New Era journalist John Muyamba (JM) recently caught up with Regina Valombola (RV), the public relations officer at the Ministry of Agriculture, Fsheries, Water and Land Reform regarding fisheries policy, enforcement measures, and sector compliance for sustainable resource use.
JM: Tell us the role the fisheries department plays regarding Policy and Enforcement to ensure sustainable utilisation of the fishing sector be it at the sea and rivers?
RV: The department has two policies dealing with the Fisheries Management Marine Resources Policy of 2004 “Towards Responsible Development of the Marine Resources Sector” and the Inland Fisheries of 1995, “Responsible Management of Inland Fisheries”, which guide its operations.
The department reviews the policies regularly to ensure their relevance. As part of the mandate to ensure a sustainable fisheries sector, the department has a law enforcement directorate tasked to monitor/enforce compliance with the fisheries legislation.
JM: How does the ministry enforce laws in the broad fishing sector? Can you outline some duties in that regard that ensure fishing activities are going on as required by law?
RV: The directorate monitors compliance by licenced fishing vessels through requiring all vessels to report their activities at sea at hourly intervals through an automated system called the Vessel Monitoring System (VMS) that is housed in the Fisheries Monitoring Centre (FMC), at the Fisheries Inspectorate in Walvis Bay.
The FMC is also equipped with other functionalities including the Automatic Identification System (AIS) that enables the ministry to pick non-Namibian licenced vessels entering the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ).
The ministry deploys fisheries inspectors on patrol vessels to board and inspect vessels at sea for compliance. Similarly, the ministry also deploys inspectors on a plane to monitor activities along and over the EEZ.
Inspectors are also deployed along the coast, rivers, dams to monitor compliance by anglers and fishers on inland water bodies.
Inspectors are also deployed to monitor fisheries landings (catches being off loaded) to ensure correct reports. The inspectors also monitor the harvesting of seals.
JM: Are fishermen adhering to these policies, and what challenges do they face when it comes to policy implementation and enforcement?
RV: Generally, fisherman comply with legislation, however there are always those that do not always comply. The ministry creates awareness and educates the public on the legislation to better appreciate the fishing sector legislation.
JM: What are the key policies regarding the fishing sector?
RV: Namibia’s fishing sector policies focus on sustainable resources management, promoting Namibian participation, and ensuring the sector’s economic contribution. Key policies include rights-based fishing management, controlling fishing effort and gear, and allocating fishing quotas.