Final Technical Report - ACP Fish II

Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resources1 Purpose“A prosperous and industrialised Namibia, developed by her human resources, enjoyingpeace, harmony and political stability” is the Vision of Namibia for 2030 (Officeof the President 2004). The sub-vision for marine resources states that by 2030 Namibia’smarine species and habitats “significantly contribute to the economy withoutthreatening biodiversity or the functioning of natural ecosystems, in a dynamic externalenvironment.”This management plan sets goals, objectives and management measures for the hakefishery that should bring Namibia closer to the above sub-vision during 2011-2014.This includes three fishing seasons, from May 2011 to April 2014. The managementplan brings together in one document the relevant legal provisions and policies thatcurrently govern the management of the hake resource. In the development of thisplan, no significant changes in policy were made. However, the plan highlights issuesthat need reviewing and further evaluation during the plan’s time frame and beyond.Access to the hake resource comes with certain obligations for the right holders regardingthe proper management and care of the resource and the environment. Whereappropriate, these obligations are set out in this management plan.While the recovery and long term sustainability of the hake resource is the first priorityof the plan, additional goals relate to ecosystem management; to establishing a stablebusiness environment promoting economic efficiency; to ensuring that benefitsfrom the hake fishery accrue to a wide number of Namibian nationals; and to providingcost effective and participatory management of the hake fishery. Consequently,this plan is an important step in the direction of an ecosystem approach to fisheriesmanagement (EAF). It should be kept in mind that sometimes these goals contradicteach other, in which case compromises need to be made.The plan refers to the hake resource as two separate stocks as one of the importantobjectives during the coming years is to assess and manage the two species separately.This is the first management plan for the hake fishery. It has two main aims. Firstly, tobring together in one plan all the current management measures and policies that applyto the hake fishery. These measures and policies are currently found in differentdocuments, making it hard to obtain an overview of the fishery and its management.Secondly, to identify aspects of the current management measures and policies thatneed attention and perhaps improvement in the coming years. In order to incorporatemany of the management measures discussed in this plan a number of reviews andinvestigations are needed to identify the most appropriate strategies. This is entirely tobe expected and as the plan evolves, particularly at the nominated review dates, morespecific management measures, indicators and time frames will be incorporated.The following section (Chapter 2) briefly describes the status of knowledge of thehake stocks, some important aspects of the industry and the current managementstrategies. Chapter 3, the core section of this document, defines five goals; each goalhaving a number of objectives. These objectives set out several strategies and key performanceindicators to allow for assessment of whether management objectives arebeing achieved. Chapter 4 summarises the main management measures and any newactions that will be required to achieve the defined goals. Chapters 5 and 6 set out thetime frame of the plan, including the review process, and describe the procedure to befollowed if any performance indicators are not being achieved.Hake Management Plan Page 1