Fishing gaffe costs economy N$2.6 billion

… industry not consulted, claims economic sabotage

By Confidente Reporter

HOLDING on to fishing quotas by the fisheries ministry until close to the end of the fishing season will allegedly cost the Namibian economy up to N$2.6 billion as at least one third of Total Allowed Catch (TAC) for horse mackerel and 10 000 metric tonnes (mt) of hake will remain in the water, Confidente has established.

Fishing industry experts have told Confidente that while at least 10 000mt hake whose season closed yesterday is already lost GDP revenue, the 72 000mt government objective horse mackerel quota currently being auctioned will have very little takers while 34 000mt allocated to newcomers with no capacity to catch and land the fish may also remain in the ocean.

For full story read this week’s edition