PS tackles illegal fishingLax enforcement of fisheries regulations in the Okavango River may soon be something of the past. Okavango fish stocks in dire straits Lax enforcement of fisheries regulations in the Okavango River may soon be something of the past. A senior fisheries official met with a group of Kavango East lodge owners last week to discuss the critical state of fish stocks in the Okavango River owing in large part to a lack of law enforcement despite escalating overfishing and illegal fishing practices.The permanent secretary of the Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resources, Moses Maurihungirire, described the meeting as “very healthy”, adding that a number of priority areas were identified that would receive immediate attention.
“We are going to talk to our people and see how we can solve these problems. They are very important issues from our point of view,” he told Namibian Sun.
Among several other areas of concern, the PS said the three top priorities include addressing the existing capacity of fisheries inspectors so that they carry out their jobs effectively, amending existing fisheries legislation and entering talks with Angolan law enforcement officials to ensure that issues are addressed mutually and simultaneously on both sides of the river.
Maurihungirire met with a small group of representatives last Friday after he had received a letter in late July containing 62 signatures from local lodge owners, conservancies and businesses who supported the request for urgent action on the matters raised.
At Friday’s meeting, which was attended by a handful of the signatories, he was handed a list of the current challenges plus a number of suggestions, including proposed changes in the Fisheries Act that would make it “more fair and appropriate”.
Critical to the group is ensuring effective law enforcement by fisheries officials in the region, as well as improving control measures within the existing Fisheries Act to address the unique conditions of the Okavango River and the communities that depend on the river for a livelihood. In July, the signatories wrote that the absence of law enforcement by fisheries inspectors had allowed overfishing and illegal fishing practices to flourish, with devastating consequences for the river environment and fish populations.
The letter accused the inaction of fisheries inspectors of worsening the crisis, and negatively affecting the local tourism industry as well as local communities who derive a livelihood from the river.
The signatories said serious changes were needed to halt and reverse the impact of these activities, and suggested that new fisheries inspectors should replace the current officials. Among many other concrete suggestions shared with the PS, the group noted that more than four fisheries inspectors are needed to patrol the large area in addition to appointing honorary fisheries inspectors.
Maurihungirire told Namibian Sun that the meeting was productive. “I think they had some good points. They are really responsible people and they want the right things to happen on the river, in order to ensure the sustainable use of river resources.”
He said from the point of view of the ministry, all fisheries officials “have to do our work. We serve the nation and that is our calling.”
Mark Paxton, owner of Shamvura Camp and a key local figure in addressing illegal fishing and overfishing in the area, said he was “impressed by Dr Maurihungirire’s humble approach and willingness to listen to our concerns”.
Paxton praised his “decisive promises to solve this issue with the fisheries inspectors and the commercial fishing operations.”
JANA-MARI SMITH