Stanley Ndarahas been reappointed aschairperson of the SADC Regional Fisheries Monitoring Control and Surveillance Coordination Centre
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“Fisheries Observer Agency chief executive Stanley Ndara has been reappointed as chairperson of the SADC Regional Fisheries Monitoring Control and Surveillance Coordination Centre.”
Stanley Ndarasaidcurrent regional penalties are not strong enough to discourage violations
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“Monitoring, Control and Surveillance Coordination Centre (MCSCC) board chairperson Stanley Ndara yesterday said current regional penalties are not strong enough to discourage violations.”
Fisheries Observer Agency chief executive Stanley Ndarastated rising bycatch despite penalties points tobroader problems in legal and law enforcement system
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“Fisheries Observer Agency chief executive Stanley Ndara says rising bycatch despite penalties points to broader problems in the legal and law enforcement system.”
Stanley Ndaraattended as panelistSeychelles Tuna Fisheries Conference on 29 April
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“"As chairperson of the SADC Monitoring, Control and Surveillance Coordination Centre board of directors, I attended the Seychelles Tuna Fisheries Conference on 29 April as a panelist alongside other fisheries experts," FOA chief executive Stanley Ndara said.”
The SADC renewed the board of directors of the Regional Fisheries Monitoring Control and Surveillance Coordination Centre in Maputo, retaining Namibia's Stanley Ndara as chairperson for a second term. The board's priorities include strengthening the centre's sustainability, reducing donor reliance, and rolling out a Regional Register of Fishing Vessels.
The SADC renewed the board of directors of the Regional Fisheries Monitoring Control and Surveillance Coordination Centre in Maputo, retaining Namibia's Stanley Ndara as chairperson for a second term. The board's priorities include strengthening the centre's sustainability, reducing donor reliance, and rolling out a Regional Register of Fishing Vessels.
Stanley Ndara, chief executive of Namibia's Fisheries Observer Agency, has been reappointed as chairperson of the SADC Regional Fisheries Monitoring Control and Surveillance Coordination Centre for a second term. SADC ministers responsible for fisheries made the decision at a meeting in Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe on 29 May.
Stakeholders warn that existing penalties are failing to deter illegal fishing in Namibian waters, following the interception of a vessel with 22 crew members and amid concerns over losses from bycatch, which increased sharply since 2020 despite monitoring systems in place.
Pilchard bycatch has risen sharply from 608 tonnes in 2020 to more than 11,000 tonnes in both 2024 and 2025, with the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Land Reform warning that increasing bycatch could threaten marine biodiversity and fish stocks if not properly managed.
The government may have lost N$157.5 million from 17,500 tonnes of hake caught as bycatch by 15 horse mackerel freezer trawlers in 2025. The Ministry of Agriculture has admitted that current penalties may not be stopping repeat offenders, with hake bycatch in the horse mackerel fishery increasing sharply from 3,203 tonnes in 2020 to 17,500 tonnes in 2025.
Regional fisheries experts have warned that Namibia's outdated fisheries legislation and weak penalties are undermining efforts to combat illegal fishing despite the country's relatively strong monitoring systems. The experts called for stronger evidence-gathering practices, updated laws with meaningful deterrents, and regional cooperation to close legal and enforcement gaps.
The Fisheries Observer Agency was left out of Ministry of Agriculture consultations on proposed fisheries regulations in Walvis Bay, with the agency only contacted after proceedings began. The FOA chief executive says the exclusion reflects a pattern of deliberate sidelining, though the ministry describes it as an oversight and says the agency was later welcomed to participate.
The Fisheries Observer Agency has operated without a board since August 2025, limiting management oversight and decision-making authority. The Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Land Reform was notified months in advance but has not appointed a replacement board, hampering the agency's ability to approve budgets, strategic plans, and review landed values.