By: Peneyambeko Jonas
The government has allocated a horse mackerel quota to Etosha Fishing Corporation as a means of preserving jobs and investments, according to the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Land Reform.
The government’s decision has reignited queries on how Namibia balances employment protection, industrial investment and the sustainable management of marine resources.
In a statement issued on Monday, the ministry clarified that the allocation was not a response to the recent employee demonstration at the company.
According to the ministry, Cabinet had already approved the quota allocation before workers submitted their petition, and the process had been finalised well in advance.
The ministry said the intervention forms part of a longstanding government strategy to preserve jobs and investments that survived the collapse of Namibia’s commercial pilchard industry.
Etosha Fishing has been among the hardest-hit companies since the pilchard moratorium was imposed in 2018 to allow depleted fish stocks to recover. The Walvis Bay-based company, which operates Namibia’s only active fish cannery, has relied on imported pilchards and periodic horse mackerel allocations to keep its operations running.
The latest allocation comes at a critical time for the company. Earlier this year, Etosha Fishing warned that it faced operational challenges and requested a 10 000-metric-ton horse mackerel relief quota to sustain jobs.
Managing director Volker Paulsmeier previously described such interventions as a “lifeline” for the cannery and its workforce. “It prevents the cannery from shutting its doors for good,” he said, while outlining plans aimed at securing the company’s long-term sustainability.
Labour representatives have long argued that government support is necessary to protect workers. The Namibia Seamen and Allied Workers Union (NASAWU) has repeatedly called on authorities to allocate horse mackerel quotas to Etosha Fishing, warning that thousands of jobs linked to the cannery and broader value-addition activities are at risk without access to raw fish.
NASAWU president Paulus Hango previously argued that granting a quota to a company with an established processing facility would help secure employment and improve working conditions for workers affected by the pilchard moratorium.
However, not everyone is convinced that quota allocations are the best long-term solution.
Confederation of Namibian Fishing Associations (CNFA) chairperson Matti Amukwa has consistently called for greater transparency and predictability in the allocation of governmental objective quotas.
He has warned that recurring quota interventions can create uncertainty for investors and rights holders, arguing that allocations should be linked to clear employment, investment and value-addition commitments.
The ministry maintains that the intervention remains necessary while the pilchard resource recovers.
Government says scientific assessments show encouraging improvements in pilchard stocks, but any decision to reopen the fishery will be guided by scientific advice and sustainability considerations.
For now, the horse mackerel allocation offers a temporary reprieve for Etosha Fishing workers. Yet it also highlights a larger challenge facing Namibia’s fishing sector on how to protect jobs today while building a transparent, sustainable and competitive industry for the future.
