A Short History of the Namibian Hake Fishery—a Social-Ecological Analysis

Abstract

ABSTRACT. As a legacy of Namibia's colonial past, the country inherited severely depleted fish resources at the time of independence. Today, Namibia's fisheries are almost exclusively industrial. The hake fishery is the country's most important fishery, which was restructured from a pre-independence foreign fishery into one that is characterized by locally based, vertically integrated fishing and processing companies. It is widely believed that Namibia has successfully combined the neoliberal economics that have been characteristic of the development narratives since the 1980s with welfarist goals for poverty reduction. However, there are strong indications that the fish stocks are declining, while the high economic expectations for the fishery have not been fulfilled. Rather, it seems that the Namibian government's attempt to combine economic neoliberalism and social equity has, in fact, created a developmental dilemma. We track the environmental impact of the historic exploitation of Namibia's fish resources and examine this dilemma and its effects on Namibia's fisheries management.

Rebuilding the Namibian hake fishery: a case for collaboration between scientists and fishermen

“…1, Paterson et al 2013). This dilemma is caused by economic and political interests that benefit from any weakness in the scientific underpinning of pleas for conservative catch rates (Paterson et al 2013).…”

“…1, Paterson et al 2013). This dilemma is caused by economic and political interests that benefit from any weakness in the scientific underpinning of pleas for conservative catch rates (Paterson et al 2013). Stronger stock assessment science is a necessary but not sufficient requirement for rebuilding Namibian hake stocks and for sustainable fisheries.…”

“…From the outset, then, there was scientific disagreement regarding the size of the resource and the anticipated rate of rebuilding: survey-based estimates indicated overexploitation, while estimates based on commercial catch and effort data indicated nearly pristine abundance levels (van der Westhuizen 2001). On the strengths of the high catch levels of the past, and based on related high expectations regarding the productivity of the resource (Sherbourne 2010), and in response to challenges from external scientists to the size of the original post-independence quota (Paterson et al 2013), the Namibian government increased the total allowable catch levels from 60,000 in 1990 to 200,000 in 1999 (Fig. 1).…”

Conclusions: Reframing the Possibilities for Natural and Social Science Dialogue on the Economic History of Natural Resources

“…A similar situation is found in Namibia, where the relative absence of a small-scale fishing sector has for a while disguised the fact that Namibian workers in the fishery have been marginalized. Mismatches in the economic fisheries policy, which, as Paterson et al (2013) demonstrate, have not only prevented the trickling down of economic benefits to the poor, but are also obstructing the rebuilding of the Namibian hake fishery, an important cornerstone of the Namibian fisheries sector.…”

“…Although landings data provide valuable information about the productivity and status of a fishery, they do not provide any insights into how the interaction of these drivers of change influences realities at the local scale, i.e., the consequences on both people and fish. Similarly, Paterson et al (2013) demonstrate how a management focus on maximizing jobs in the Namibian hake (Merlucius capensis and M. paradoxus) fishery has fallen short on maintaining the well-being of fish plant workers while placing additional pressure on an already depressed resource.…”