The Namibian blue economic sector consists of both marine-based fisheries and aquaculture and the waters are particularly fishy, hence the marine fishery is carried out exclusively on an industrial basis which makes it possible to generate substantial revenues.
The aquaculture sector is still scantily exploited, has considerable potential.
Namibia has one of the most productive fishing grounds in the world, due primarily to the presence of the Benguela current which brings nutrient rich waters up from the depths that stimulate the growth of microscopic marine organisms.
These in turn support rich populations of fish, which form the basis of the marine fisheries sector.
Namibia’s fishing industry is well known for its world class capabilities in handling, distributing and marketing marine products.
The Namibian coastline stretches for 1572 km from the Orange River in the south up to the Kunene River in the north.
Most activities in the marine fishing industry are conducted from Swakopmund, Walvis Bay and Lüderitz where fishing quotas are strictly enforced to ensure the sustainability of this resource.
Namibia is Africa’s third largest capture fisheries nation after Morocco and South Africa and ranks among the top ten fish producing nations globally.
The Namibian fisheries sector generated approximately N$10 billion in export revenue during the 2015/2016 season, a massive 43 percent increase from the N$7 billion in the 2014/2015 financial year.
Growth in fish exports is mainly driven by increased exports of Horse Mackerel.
Namibia’s major export destinations for fish are South Africa, Zambia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Mozambique and Zimbabwe as well as Spain, Italy, Portugal and France.
Namibia’s 200 nautical miles EEZ has a biomass containing about 20 different species. Out of the 20 species commercially exploited in Namibia, nine species are regulated through TACs (Total Allowable Catch) set by the MFMR annually, in accordance with Namibia’s marine resource policy.
The nine species are Pilchard, Hake, Horse Mackerel, Juvenile Horse Mackerel, Crab, Rock Lobster, Orange Roughy and Monk.
The most important species for the local fisheries are Hake and Horse Mackerel.
Horse Mackerel accounts for the largest catches in terms of volume. By contrast, Hake is the most important fish species in terms of value and job generation. The local Hake industry accounts for roughly 70 percent of the total employment created by the Namibian fisheries sector as a whole.