Ocean & Coastal Fishing and Aquaculture Industry in Namibia 2025

This comprehensive report on ocean and coastal fishing and aquaculture in Namibia includes information on wild-capture, aquaculture, recreational fishing and processing. Areas of focus include Namibia’s fishing fleets, quotas and volumes of fish captured, the status of marine resources, exports, notable players, corporate actions and environmental issues. There are profiles of 16 notable companies including subsidiaries of foreign companies such as Oceana (South Africa), NovaNam (Spain’s Nueva Pescanova Group), the state-owned National Fishing Corporation of Namibia (Fishcor), and local companies such as Tunacor, Etosha Fishing, and Hangana.

Introduction

• The Namibian fishing industry is the continent’s second-largest exporter of fish and other seafood products.
• The industry is a significant contributor to Namibia’s food security, job creation, economic growth and foreign exchange earnings.
• The industry has suffered significant reputational damage from a corruption scandal involving the alleged payment of bribes to high-ranking officials in exchange for fishing quotas.
• Critical challenges include managing depleted marine resources sustainably, and potential impacts of proposed offshore phosphate mining and oil and gas activities.

Trends

• Growing interest in the commercial cultivation of seaweed/kelp.
• Sustained demand for MSC-certified Namibian Cape hake, particularly from EU countries.
• There is a strong focus on managing marine resources sustainably.
• With consumers in SADC countries switching to more affordable proteins, demand for smaller-sized Namibian horse mackerel remains strong.
• With wild-capture fisheries under pressure, reduced quotas and smaller catches, there is an increased focus on developing the aquaculture sector.

Opportunities

• Commercial cultivation of seaweed.
• Developing products from fish processing waste, such as fish oil, fishmeal and wound dressings.
• Fishing planning apps with updates on weather, tides, and fish movements.
• Fishing technologies, such as GPS satellite navigation, sonar, acoustic cameras, fishing drones and AI-driven monitoring systems.
• Mariculture (notably oysters and abalone) and freshwater fish farming (tilapia).
• Providing specialised capacity development training programmes to address skills shortages.
• Recycling or repurposing of old nets and used/recovered fishing gear.
• Sport/recreational fishing, targeting tourists.
• Supplying biodegradable fishing nets with radio frequency identification chips that allow for tracking and recovery. Additionally, modified nets with bycatch escape panels.

Challenges

• Corruption, with companies paying bribes for fishing quotas.
• Environmental concerns, specifically the impacts of pollution and climate change on marine ecosystems, and food security risks posed by chemicals, oil spills and raw sewage.
• Geopolitical security risks.
• Overfishing and overexploitation of resources, poaching and illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing by foreign vessels, with some species being fished or harvested at unsustainable levels.
• Proposed mining of marine phosphates effect on marine life.
• The increasing severity and frequency of extreme weather.
• The seismic impacts of oil and gas exploration on fishing resources.
• The sustainable management of marine resources is affected by the unintentional capture of non-target species.

Outlook

• Namibia’s wild-capture volumes are expected to remain under pressure as fishing quotas are reduced and landings decline further.
• Fishing companies anticipate that smaller catches will be partially offset by sustained demand from export markets and higher prices.
• Demand for smaller-sized Namibian horse mackerel is expected to remain firm in southern African countries, while demand for Cape hake will be supported by Spain and EU countries.
• In the aquaculture sector, oyster and abalone farming is expected to grow once certification is secured for target markets.
• Developments in offshore mining and oil and gas could affect the industry’s growth prospects.
• The government is expected to focus on strengthening intra-African trade and explore BRICS collaboration opportunities.