BLUE ECONOMY

The Bank of Namibia (BoN) projects growth in the fishing and fish processing industry to decline from 10.8% in 2023 to 2% in 2024, which it has attributed to the prospects of lower fishing quotas. The industry is expected to record growth of 3.3% in 2025 and 3.9% in 2026.

Hake and horse mackerel dominate Namibia’s 20 commercially important marine species and account for over 90% of the total catches. Hake, a mid-water and demersal species, is the most important fish in terms of value and foreign exchange earnings. Spain is the most important export destination, followed by other European countries.

Horse mackerel, locally known as maasbanker, accounts for about two-thirds of the total annual catches. It is an affordable high-protein fish which is rich in omega-3. Zambia, Mozambique and the Democratic Republic of Congo are the main export destinations for whole frozen mackerel.

CRUSTACEANS

Lüderitz is the base of the once-lucrative rock lobster industry which reached its peak in the mid-1960s when 8,800 tonnes were harvested before the industry collapsed, necessitating a reduction of total allowable catches to less than 200 tonnes. Live, whole-cooked and raw rock lobsters are exported mainly to Japan and the People’s Republic of China. The small but high-value deep-sea crab fisheries operate from Walvis Bay. Products include whole round crabs, fresh or frozen sections, claw products, legs with or without shells and crab meat and flakes. The People’s Republic of China, South Korea and Spain are the main export destinations.

OTHER COMMERCIAL SPECIES

Monkfish tails and fillets are exported to Spain, Italy, the United Kingdom and France, while albacore is exported to Japan where it is in demand for sashimi. Sole and kingklip, which are caught as bycatches of the trawl fisheries, are other valuable commercial species. Other important bycatches such as angelfish, ribbon fish, John Dory, jacopever and snoek are frozen at sea and processed on land for export and local consumption.

The commercial line fishing subsector operates mainly along the central coast from Walvis Bay, Swakopmund and Henties Bay. Snoek, silver cob, commonly known as kabeljou, and west coast steenbras are the main species caught from ski boats and larger vessels.

RECREATIONAL FISHING

The Namibian coast has long been regarded as an anglers’ paradise and is a popular destination for local recreational shore anglers, as well as anglers from South Africa. Sought- after species include silver cob (kabeljou), west coast steenbras, galjoen and blacktail.

The Kavango and Zambezi rivers in the north of the country are the habitat of several fine freshwater angling species. Especially sought-after is the rapacious tigerfish, while threespot tilapia, bream, nembwe and pink happy are other target species.

MORATORIUMS REMAIN

The moratorium on the commercial fishing of pilchards, which was imposed in 2018, remains in place. The moratorium was imposed following the sector’s collapse from an estimated 11 million tonnes a year in the 1960s to a mere 50,000 tonnes in 2015 as a result of unfavourable marine environmental conditions and overfishing. An acoustic survey conducted in March 2023 showed that the pilchard stock remains in an unhealthy state. Fisheries and Marine Resources Minister Derek Klazen said the ministry is continuing its research to monitor the pilchard stock and would only lift the moratorium once it has recovered to a biologically sustainable level.

The moratorium on orange roughy, a target species of the deep-water trawl fisheries, remains in place. The moratorium was imposed in 2008 following the collapse of stocks. The orange roughy is a high-value, slow-growing deep-sea fish.

Namibia’s fishing industry is an important foreign exchange earner and exported fish products valued at N$3 billion in 2023, compared to N$2.6 billion in 2022 – an increase of N$400 million.

MINISTERIAL CONCERN

In his annual fishing industry address in November 2023, Minister Klazen expressed his concern that “specific right holders are continuously catching beyond their allocated quotas” and warned that their allocations would be reduced by a percentage equivalent to their overharvest of the previous fishing season.

The Bank of Namibia (BoN) projects growth in the fishing and fish processing industry to decline from 10.8% in 2023 to 2% in 2024, which it has attributed to the prospects of lower fishing quotas. The industry is expected to record growth of 3.3% in 2025 and 3.9% in 2026. Klazen also said the ministry had “observed a worrisome trend of bycatches in the fishing industry”, specifically horse mackerel and pilchards in the horse mackerel subsector. This continuing trend of high bycatches suggests that the landings may be deliberate. The minister said his ministry is considering the strengthening of measures to control the issue.

MARICULTURE

The nutrient-rich and pollution-free water of the Benguela system creates ideal conditions for mariculture (marine aquaculture) in the sheltered lagoons of Lüderitz in the south of the country and the central coastal town of Walvis Bay. The industry is relatively small, with an annual production of just under 500 tonnes in 2022/23.

Oyster cultivation in the lagoons at Lüderitz and Walvis Bay dominates the industry. The oysters, which are acclaimed for their delicious taste, are exported live to Japan, the People’s Republic of China and South Africa and are also available locally. Abalone from Namibia’s only abalone farm at Lüderitz is exported to Hong Kong, the People’s Republic of China and Japan. Black mussels are cultivated in the Walvis Bay Aquaculture Production Area on ropes hanging from platforms to which the mussels attach themselves.

Benguela Blue Aqua Farming’s salmon farming project, the first of its kind in Namibia, was launched at Lüderitz in southern Namibia in May 2024. The company plans to raise up to 35,000 tonnes of Atlantic salmon in submersible net pens, 8 km offshore. The company plans to start its farming operation in the fourth quarter of 2025 and expects its first harvest in the fourth quarter of 2026. The project is expected to create 600 direct and 1,500 indirect jobs.

Kelp Blue has been awarded a 15-year commercial licence to cultivate giant kelp at Lüderitz following a successful pilot phase of more than three years and after obtaining an environmental clearance certificate for commercial scale production.

The company said it intends raising N$1.4 billion through the world’s first commercial blue bonds, which will be listed on the Namibian Stock Exchange (NSX) during the course of 2024. It plans to cultivate and harvest giant kelp in waters between 3 km and 10 km off the coast of Lüderitz. The kelp can be processed into a variety of products such as bio- stimulants, textiles, cosmetics and bio-packaging.

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