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The MFMR (Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resources) sets a total allowable catch (TAC) annually for all major or commercial fisheries with the objective of managing resources sustainably and preventing overexploitation of Namibian fish stocks. [15] Total allowable catch figures are shown in Table 4.4.

[15] Fishery scientists in the Ministry make suggestions for the TAC to a working group composed of economists and scientists. The working group then makes recommendations to the Marine Resources Advisory Council which includes various stakeholders. The Advisory Council's advice is then forwarded to the Minister for consideration and a decision and to the Cabinet for endorsement.

Table 4.4 Total allowable catch, 2008-14
(Tonnes)
Fish species 2008 2009 2010/11 2011/12 2012/13 2013/14
Hake 130,000 149,000 140,000 180,000 170,000 140,000
Horse mackerel 230,000 230,000 247,000 310,000 350,000 350,000
Monk 9,500 8,500 9,000 13,000 14,000 10,000
Orange roughy 900 n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a
Pilchards 15,000 17,000 25,000 25,000 25,000 25,000
Red crab 2,500 2,700 2,700 2,850 3,150 3,150
Rock lobster 350 350 275 350 350 350
Source: Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resources.

The duration of a fishing right is determined by criteria contained in the guidelines for the granting of rights and the allocation of fishing quotas. The criteria are based on the percentage of Namibian ownership of fishing vessels or onshore processing facilities; employment depends on the extent to which catches are processed domestically. In 2010, the Ministry called for the application of new fishing rights to harvest in all commercial fisheries. The number of fishing rights has increased from 158 in 2009 to 338 in 2014.

Namibia participates together with Angola and South Africa in the Benguela Current Commission (BBC), a multi-sectoral initiative to promote integrated management, sustainable development and protection of the environment within the Benguela Current Large Marine Ecosystem (BCLME) region. The BCLME spans some 30 degrees of latitude, extending from Angola's Cabinda Province in the north, to just east of Port Elizabeth in South Africa. It is one of the richest marine ecosystems on earth and supports an abundance of life. The organization focuses, inter alia, on the management of shared fish stocks, environmental monitoring and early warning of extreme oceanographic events, biodiversity and ecosystem health, pollution, and mitigation of the impacts of marine diamond mining and oil and gas production. In March 2013, Angola, Namibia and South Africa signed the Benguela Current Convention. The treaty will come into force once it is ratified by the parties. The treaty sets out the countries' intention "to promote a coordinated regional approach to the long term conservation, protection, rehabilitation, enhancement and sustainable use of the Benguela Current Large Marine Ecosystem, to provide economic, environmental and social benefits."

Namibia is a member of various other regional fishery management organizations such as the South East Atlantic Fisheries Organization (SEAFO), the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT), the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR), and the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).

(...) By-catch fees calculated to discourage excessive by-catch and payable on non-targeted species are unchanged since the last TPR report. (...)

The fishery observer levy, payable by rights holders engaging in fishing activities, benefits the Fisheries Observer Agency, which is responsible for monitoring fishing activities while fleets are at sea. As of September 2014, the levy is set at 0.9% of landed value of each catch and per species.

Concerns have been raised over the impact of oil exploration and mining activities at sea and losses over the past few years as a result of sub-sea seismic tests within fishing grounds, with the tuna, sardine and pilchard sectors among the most heavily affected. According to the authorities, this situation is still under discussion and investigation especially in the large pelagic subsector. In addition, a moratorium on phosphate has been put in place until further discussion.

A Hake Management Plan 2014-18 has been implemented. It provides strategies for the management of hake fishery and outlines goals and objectives. A Horse Mackerel Management Plan, developed in collaboration with the Angolan government and with the assistance of African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) Group countries, is operational. MFMR is also aiming to develop a Management Plan for pilchards in order to enhance the management goals set for the recovery of the stock.

A recent study reviewing the nature and outcomes of policies, incentives and management procedures in the Namibian hake industry from independence to the present argues that although based on individual quotas, Namibia's management procedures have conflicted with the State's commitment to efficiency. Its "Namibianization" policy and its attempt to increase domestic control of the hake industry both increased fishing effort and depressed hake stocks below economically optimal levels. Despite current over-capacity, the government continues to reward new investments. Industry inefficiency has been further compounded by inconsistent rights allocation policies and the fragmentation of quota shares, which have reduced right holders' sense of stewardship over the resource.