Ester Mbathera
Research on climate change and its effects on the nation’s marine ecosystem is lacking.
This is according to the outgoing member of the Marine Resource Council, Alex Kirov.
Kirov, who has been in the fishing industry for over 30 years and has served on the council since 2021, believes there is a need for more research, especially on the various non-quota species that may be considered harvestable resources.
“Unfortunately, the problem of limited research is more complex than simply saying we need more research. Our marine scientists will require additional funding, as well as the support of other government and research institutions,” he said.
Kirov believes that the Ministry, scientists, and the private sector need to strengthen their collaboration through discussions, workshops, joint data collection, and joint research.
This will not only benefit the sector as a whole but also potentially lead to better decisions and enhance the management of our marine resources.
In recent years, the fishing industry has been experiencing low catches, which they attribute to weather changes as well as the distribution and catches of undesirable species.
Over time, the freezer horse mackerel sector witnessed a surge in by-catches, surpassing the permitted allocation of 5% per vessel.
According to Kirov, there is also a need to do research on the unabated growth of the seal population and its impact as an apex predator on marine resources.
“I would like to give some numbers that paint a rather bleak picture. Based on conservative estimates, our seal population is currently standing at 1,6 to 1,8 million seals. With their average daily fish consumption of about 3.6 kg per seal, this results in over 2.3 million metric tonnes of fish per year,” he said.
Kirov said this is four times more than the entire fishing industry’s annual catch.
He said that what is most concerning is that the seal population appears to be growing faster than the fish resources.
“Most certainly this needs our attention and effort to find solutions to better manage our seal population,” he said.
In March, Unam, One Ocean Hub, Rhodes University, and the UK-based Centre for Environment, Fisheries, and Aquaculture Science (Cefas) released a report on the climate risk and adaptation for fisheries in Namibia.
The group assessed the Namibian fishery sectors based on the combination of hazard exposure, species sensitivities, and socioeconomic vulnerability.
The study looked at the eight ‘component hazards’ that the various fisheries may be exposed to, such as the Benguela Niños; temperature rise; elevated CO2 and ocean acidification; extreme weather and strong offshore winds; jellyfish blooms; low oxygen levels in water (hypoxia); sea level rise and storm surges; and harmful algal blooms.
According to the report, climate-driven changes have impacts on Namibia’s exclusive economic zone.
Changes in climate have also resulted in altered behaviours to maintain catches of target species, although the ability to adapt varies between sectors, with large-scale fisheries being much more able than small-scale fisheries.
“Whilst many of these changes could be ascribed by scientists to climate, fishers were unsure if climate was driving these changes or if this was simply natural variation. However, it was clear that fishers have knowledge and understanding that need to be included in decision-making. In addition, climate change needs to be addressed in the context of the many other pressures on the marine systems of Namibia,” read the report.
Of the 30 fish and shellfish species assessed, rock lobster, West Coast sole, deep-sea red crab and kingklip, shallow-water hake, monkfish, deep-water hake, and Panga sea bream were found to have the highest sensitivity to climate change.
Sector-level species sensitivity was highest for the rock lobster fishery, crab fishery, monkfish trawlers, hake liners, and hake trawlers, as these fisheries are dependent on a single or small number of species with high climate sensitivity.
These species comprise over 99.9% of Namibia’s large-scale fisheries catches.
The study discovered that the small pelagic and rock lobster fisheries had the highest socio-economic vulnerability, which was associated with low total landing value, low value per employee, employment losses, and few permanent positions.
The report recommended the need for a policy mechanism to grant funding for fishers to adapt, prioritising those fleets identified as the most socio-economically vulnerable.
