Illegal fishing continues to pose a significant threat to protected areas, especially national parks, in the Zambezi Region, the Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism has indicated.

The ministry’s public relations officer, Romeo Muyunda in an interview with Nampa on Sunday said while rhino and elephant poaching is a nationwide concern, the depletion of fish in national parks due to illegal fishing calls for immediate action.

While locals also engage in these activities, there is particular concern about foreign nationals entering Namibia for this purpose.

“Foreign nationals enter our national parks to fish and then export the catch to other countries,” Muyunda said.

To address this pressing issue, Ministry of Environment officials in the Zambezi Region have been collaborating with the Namibian Police Force (NamPol) in conducting operations to apprehend illegal fishing and immigrants in the area. These operations have resulted in the confiscation of fishing nets and fish items from the culprits.

In 2018, Chief Kisco Liswani III of the Masubia tribe expressed concern over the increasing number of fishermen from neighbouring Zambia who engaged in overfishing using unsustainable methods, including prohibited nets, in Namibian waters.

Despite briefing fisheries and marine resources officials at Katima Mulilo about these issues at Manyonga Lake, Malindi, and other fish-rich areas like Luhonono, Namiyundu, Nankutwe, and Muzii, the problem persisted.

In another incident, Muyunda reported that two men were arrested for poaching in Modumo National Park on Friday.

Besides illegal fishing, the region is grappling with other unlawful activities, including illegal timber harvesting in State forests and poaching of elephants for both commercial and subsistence purposes.

Muyunda called on local communities to refrain from participating in such illegal activities.

Source: The Namibia Press Agency