The Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Land Reform is considering exploring a range of measures to enforce compliance with fishing regulations.

This follows calls for the government to lift the temporary ban on pilchard catches following reports of illegal landings of bycatches of the species.

Critics and operators in the sector have been pointing to abnormal bycatches of pilchards landed by boats licensed to catch other species.

Also, there have been accusations of lax enforcement of fisheries regulations when it comes to bycatches.

The Fisheries Ministry thus acknowledged lapses in enforcement efforts aimed at protecting Namibia's pilchard stocks, raising concerns over the long-term sustainability of the country's marine resources.

In a ministerial statement in the National Assembly, Minister Inge Zaamwani revealed that despite a temporary ban on targeted pilchard fishing that has been in place since 2018 due to critically depleted stocks, illegal fishing activities do persist, suggesting deliberate violations by some operators within the industry.

The ministry is thus enhancing compliance.

"This includes but is not limited to the revision of the current moratorium, implementing stricter bycatch limits, revising the landed value of species to deter bycatches, and deploying more advanced monitoring and surveillance systems."

She said recent data indicates a fragile recovery, with current pilchard stock estimated at 850,000 metric tonnes, which she said is still well below the one million metric tonne threshold considered biologically sustainable.

There are also plans to conduct a new stock assessment to guide future 

policy, including plans to revise the current penalty regime to introduce stricter measures for non-compliance.

"These efforts are designed to ensure that bycatch regulations are respected and that the recovery of the pilchard stock is not compromised."

Zaamwani assured the August House that the Fisheries Ministry will continue to closely monitor the situation and ensure adherence to current measures.