The Cabinet has approved a total allowable catch (TAC) of 140,000 metric tonnes for hake for the 2024/2025 fishing season, which will run from 1 November 2024 to 30 September 2025.
This is a reduction from the 154,000 metric tonnes set for the 2022/2023 season, in line with the Cabinet’s directive to gradually reduce hake catches.
“Cabinet approved a once-off Total Allowable Catch for Hake to be set at one hundred and forty thousand (140,000) metric tonnes for the 2024/2025 fishing season and direct the Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resources to consider a gradual reduction of the TAC over the years to reach the recommendation of the scientists,†the Minister of Information and Communication Technology, Emma Theofelus, said.
According to the Namibia Statistics Agency’s merchandise trade report for September, fish is the fourth highest export commodity in Namibia, accounting for 11%, or N$990 million, of all exports.
The main destinations for Namibian fish exports were Zambia and Spain.
Meanwhile, the Namibia Statistics Agency (NSA) says the country’s fish export earnings dropped by 7.5% to N$3.8 billion in the second quarter of 2024, from N$4.1 billion in the same period last year.
According to the NSA’s Agriculture and Fishing Bulletin, fish imports rose 18.9% to N$206.1 million, up from N$173.3 million in 2023.
This comes as the total quota species during the second quarter of 2024 amounted to 101,173 metric tonnes, an increase of 4.4% when compared to 96,909 metric tonnes recorded in the second quarter of 2023.
Spain was the main export destination for fish, crustaceans, molluscs, and other aquatic invertebrates for the quarter under review, accounting for 34.9% of exports.
Furthermore, the Cabinet also approved the Total Allowable Catch for rock lobster at 180 metric tonnes for the 2024/2025 fishing season, as submitted by the Minister of Fisheries and Marine Resources.
