Fisheries - Enviro Dynamics Namibia

10 CONCLUSIONS
F I S H E R I E S , M A M M A L S A N D S E A B I R D S S P E C I A L I S T S T U D Y
Overall we emphasize that our assessment of fish resources, fisheries, marine mammals and birds
is based on the best available data. In the case of fisheries, data have been provided by the
Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resources. The analyses undertaken using these data are aimed
only at informing the EIA as best possible regarding the risks of the proposed mining. We wish to
stress also that with respect to the impact on commercial fisheries, our assessment equates more
to a broad operational impact rather than an environmental one.
With respect to the risk assessment of the impact on the broader ecosystem, the assessment is
“data poor” and inadequate to fully assess the likely impacts of dredging on the Namibian marine
environment (including biodiversity and trophic ecology). We stress however that this uncertainty
could apply equally to other exploited marine resources (such as fishing and diamond mining)
where there is much uncertainty regarding ecosystem impacts and the extent to which
anthropogenic activities (historical and current) may already have altered the marine
environment.
Five critical impacts have been identified.
The impact on Namibian fisheries will vary depending on the fishing sector.
The operations of all fisheries will in some way, and at different levels of intensity, be impacted.
Overall however the significance is considered to be negative and medium to low primarily
because the area to be mined (annually up to 3 km 2 and for the 20 year mining lifespan up to 60
km 2 ) is a small fraction of the overall Namibian fishing grounds. This fraction may however
increase significantly if mining of this nature is to be expanded or alternative mine sites
introduced.
Of the main commercial fisheries, the monk-directed trawl fishery will be most impacted. The
species exploited (monk) prefers muddy/sandy substrate of which the dredging operation as
proposed, will remove 60 km 2 for the duration of the mining licence. The monk-directed catch
and effort data and trawling locations from 2005-2010 suggest that about 1% of the total monk
fishing grounds in SP-2 will be lost, 0.08% in SP-3 and zero % in SP-1 i.e a direct impact in the actual
mined site. Further, 19.75 % of the monk fishing grounds in the MLA + Zone 1, may be indirectly
impacted. The actual nature and intensity of the impact away from the actual mined sites cannot
be definitively stated and is also likely to vary and be reduced in intensity further away from the
mining operation. The primary effects of the dredging operation is expected to be disturbance
and removal of the preferred monk substrate resulting in either displacement of monk to
adjacent ground or actual mortality of monk that may be caught in the dredging process.
Similarly the hake trawl and longline fisheries will also lose fishing grounds although this is
unlikely to happen in the first phase of mining as the data provided suggest effort in these
fisheries has not been directed in the SP-1 mining target area. Expansion of the dredging into the
other areas (SP-2 and SP-3) will however increase the exposure of these fisheries to the dredging
operations.
Final Report
Namibian Marine Phosphate (Pty) Ltd.
Page 79