quotas to foreigners by chartering foreign-owned and 

 operated vessels. The increasingly complex structure 

 of interlocking front companies makes ultimate 

 company ownership difficult to identify. Given the 

 fact that Namibia was under South African 

 administration until 1990 (the fishing Port of Walvis 

 bay still is), South African commercial interests 

 permeate the Namibian fishing industry. Spanish, 

 Portuguese, and Norwegian interests are also 

 common. Russian vessels, chartered at low rates, 

 dominate the horse-mackerel fishery. 



Among the more prominent foreign interests are 

 Pescanova (Spanish) and Nandamsea-Namfish- 

 Northern Fishing Industries-Blue Sea (part 

 Norwegian) in demersal fishing, United Fishing 

 Enterprises (part Norwegian via Namsea-Namfish) 

 and Kuiseb Fish Products (I&J of South Africa) in 

 pelagic fishing, Sovrybflot (Russian) and Pescanova 

 (Spanish) in horse-mackerel fishing, and the SA Tuna 

 Association (South Africa) in tuna fishing. The 

 embassy is not aware of any American involvement 

 in the Namibian fishing industry. Wickford 

 Corporation of New York applied on its own for a 

 1993 horse-mackerel quota, but failed to receive a 

 license. (Only enterprises with Namibian joint 

 venture partners were granted concessions as new 

 entrants in 1993.) 



5. Aid Programs 



Norway has been very involved in providing 

 enforcement and scientific assistance to Namibia's 

 fishing sector. Iceland has also provided technical 

 support. The EC would be willing to provide 

 Namibia with enforcement equipment and technical 

 expertise, once a fishing agreement between the EC 

 and Namibia is concluded. The biodiversity program 

 of the U.S. Department of Defense has allowed $2.7 

 million for small surveillance aircraft and 

 communications equipment for the Namibian 

 Government to use in safeguarding its marine 

 resources. Kuwait has expressed interest in helping 

 to build a new fishing harbor on the north coast. 



6. Shipbuilding 



There is no local shipbuilding industry. Walvis 

 Bay has drydock facilities for repairs. Imported 

 vessels are subject to the tariffs of the South African- 

 administered Southern African Customs Union. 



7. Transshipments 



Walvis Bay services distant-water fleets. 



8. Namibian High-seas Fishing 



While 88 percent of the demersal fleet operates 

 under the Namibian flag, 61 percent are actually 

 freezer trawlers that carry their catch back to Spain 

 or other foreign markets. The rest are wet-fish 

 trawlers that service the growing on-shore processing 

 industry. Nearly all the mid-water trawling fleet, 

 which accounts for 76 percent of total licensed fishing 

 fleet tonnage, appears to be ex-Soviet distant-water 

 vessels. Most of these are chartered by local 

 concessionaires. A recognizable Russian company, 

 Sovrybflot, charters 12 of the mid-water trawlers. 

 The tuna fleet is based primarily in South Africa. 

 There are no distant-water vessels involved in the 

 Pilchard Fishery and the Walvis Bay pelagic fleet is 

 now all-Namibian registered. 



9. Enforcement 



With foreign assistance, Namibia is building a 

 capability to monitor and control foreign fishing. 

 Prior to independence, up to 300 foreign demersal 

 and mid-water vessels at the time reportedly fished 

 off the Namibian coast, nearly exhausting stocks of 

 hake and other species. After the proclamation of the 

 200-mile fishing zone, in April 1990, the number of 

 unlicensed fishing vessels fell by approximately 90 

 percent. Over the past three years, ten Spanish or 

 Spanish-owned fishing vessels have been seized by 

 the Government of Namibia for illegal fishing, 

 reducing the attractiveness of Namibian waters to 

 unlicensed vessels. 



Namibia 



Katima 



Mul.ln 



•Ondangwa 

 Qroottontein" 



Otjiwarongo 



Swakopmund WINDHOEK 

 4 * 



Gofcabis 

 *Rehoboth 

 South 

 Atlantic 

 Ocean  K«*tm*nafcoop 



Luderitz^ 



Karasburg 



Boundary 



epresentation is 



not necessarily 



authoritative 



22 



