Image: The Namibian /Gendev Fishing Group

Fishing company rejects concerns over catching in breeding grounds

NAMIBIA
Wednesday, September 28, 2022, 06:00 (GMT + 9)

THE general manager of Princess Brand Processing (PBP), Adolf Burger, says their company will not destroy an environmentally sensitive area in the ocean, which has been protected for over two decades.

The area serves as a breeding ground for fish and the development of juvenile fish stocks in the ocean.

This comes after The Namibian last week reported that PBP and Gendev Fishing Resources are lobbying the government to harvest horse mackerel in the 200 metres of the sea's isobath area.

An isobath is an imaginary line indicating depth below the water's surface.

Image: Paulus Kainge / National Marine Information and Research Centre | NatMIRC · Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resources

At the heart of this dispute is a regulation introduced in 1997 by the government to restrict fishing within 200 metres of the sea's isobath, which determines how deep a vessel is allowed to harvest fish.

This rule was aimed to protect the distribution of eggs and breeding ground for fish, including the money-making horse mackerel (also known as maasbanker) sector.

Experts believe this area is where pelagic species, such as horse mackerel are found. From 400 metres, deep-water species like hake and monk are found.

“Wet is the one sector which cares about the resource. We will not invest N$1,5 billion in land and employ over 1 000 Namibians to destroy the resource,” Burger says.

He says the wet industry is driven by governmental development objectives, not greed.

Burger says both companies are working towards a long-term future.

“I believe with Swapo taking up more shareholding in Gendev, it was based on jobs and not financial gains,” he says.

Burger says the 200-metre isobath line was instituted to squeeze wet horse mackerel vessels out of business.

Palegic fishing vessel.Photo: Gendev Fishing Group

Swapo has a 96,5% stake in Gendev Fishing Resources, which in turn owns 60% of the Gendev Fishing Group.

The remainder is owned by the Eco Fishing Group, owned by Ivo de Gouveia, Alex Kirov and partners.

Vice president Nangolo Mbumba's wife, Sustjie, owns a stake in the Gendev Fishing Group through her company Dun-Al Fishing.

Burger says they are not asking to trawl the whole 200m area, but to be allowed to fish at a depth of 130m, where adult fish are.

<-- Horse mackerel at the processing plant.Photo: Gendev Fishing Group

“With science, South Africa allowed horse mackerel adult fishing up to 130m. Where is our scientific proof, except from ministry scientists, who will say anything to serve their 'green' attitude with no consideration for the bigger picture and ultimately what is best for Namibia in the 100% wet horse mackerel sector,” Burger says.

“Who is catching illegal up to this minute inside the 200m? It's the freezer vessels, and we have the proof. Why don't they want wet in there, because it will expose them finally as we will demand strict observers on board vessels to oversee the wet compliance, as well as to observe illegal freezer vessels both in Namibia and internationally,” he says.

Seaflower Pelagic Processing (SPP), which has been renamed Princess Brand Processing, is owned by businessman Adriaan Louw. SPP is linked to the Fishrot corruption scandal and was once in a joint venture with the national fishing company Fishcor.

This partnership failed after the government pulled out of Louw's joint venture, which was described by the High Court as “parasitic”.

Operators and scientists who spoke to The Namibian say the affected companies are choosing profit over the preservation of the country's marine resources.

“They want to go into forbidden waters so they can fill their vessels fast enough,” a fisheries ministry official says.

A fisheries scientist says the capture of fish in the restricted area could lead to species like horse mackerel going extinct.

Last week the minister of fisheries and marine resources, Derek Klazen, admitted there is no law prohibiting trawling within the 200m isobath.

Documents seen by The Namibian show that an association representing aggrieved companies directly approached president Hage Geingob in June this year to intervene after failing to convince both the former and current fisheries ministers to allow catches in the protected area.

Author/Source: Ester Mbathera /The Namibian

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www.seafood.media

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