Let's go fishing, but know the rules

With the annual sea angling competition of some of the Namibian farmers' associations taking place from Thursday, it is worthwhile to have a look at the requirements that apply in respect of the harvest of marine resources such as fish, lobster and bait like mussels and red bait.

The Marine Resources Act No. 27 of 2000 provides for:

- the conservation of the marine ecosystem and the responsible utilisation, conservation, protection and promotion of marine resources on a sustainable basis;

- the exercise of control over marine resources;

- matters connected therewith.

Marine resources are defined in the Act as all marine organisms, including but not limited to plants, vertebrate and invertebrate animals, monerans, protists (including seaweeds), fungi and viruses, and also includes guano and anything naturally derived from or produced by such organisms. Fish are also marine resources, as well as lobster and bait.

Regulations relating to the exploitation of marine resources made under the Act were promulgated by Government Notice No. 241 of 7 December 2001.



Permits

A person who - for recreational purposes - harvests in Namibian waters must be in possession of a fishing permit and carry out such harvesting subject to the conditions prescribed by its regulations.

Recreational purposes is defined as for the purpose of sport, leisure or subsistence, while harvest is defined as:

- searching for, catching, taking or attempting to catch or take any marine resource;

- placing or having fishing gear in the sea or using it on the sea shore or on an island;

- engaging in any other activity that can reasonably be expected to result in the locating, catching or taking of marine resources;

- undertaking any operations at sea or on an island in preparation for any activity.



A person who harvests marine resources must be in possession of his or her fishing permit. It is an offence not to be in possession thereof when harvesting, and if you are found without your permit, you will be required to produce it within 21 days from the day on which you pay a fine for not being in possession of your permit.

A person may only for recreational purposes harvest marine resources by a hook and line, whether operated by a rod and reel or otherwise; using a scoop net to lift rock lobsters from the water once they have been reeled to the surface; a ring net or diving.

A fishing permit is issued for a period of either one month or one year and is obtained upon payment of a fee determined by the minister of fisheries and marine resources.



Daily bag limit

A person may not, for recreational purposes, in one day harvest more than 30 barbel, 20 snoek and one shark.

For recreational purposes, you may harvest blacktail (also known as dassie), galjoen, kob (also known as kabeljou) and west coast steenbras (also known as steenbras or white fish), but not more than 10 in one day. In other words, you may harvest 10 blacktail, or 10 galjoen, or 10 kob or 10 steenbras or a mixed bag thereof, as long as the total number thereof does not exceed 10 per day.

Including head and tail, blacktail may not be shorter than 25 centimetres, galjoen may not be shorter than 30 centimetres and kob and steenbras may not be shorter than 40 centimetres. However, a person harvesting for recreational purposes may not in one day harvest

- more than two kob that are each longer than 70 centimetres including head and tail;

- more than two steenbras that are each longer than 65 centimetres including head and tail.

Meanwhile, you may not harvest more than seven rock lobsters in one day or accumulate or have in your possession more than seven rock lobsters.

A person may, without a fishing permit, harvest and retain for his or her own use aquatic plants, molluscs and seashells, but may not in any one day harvest or have in his or her possession more than 50 black mussels, 25 white mussels or white mussels that are able to pass through a ring with an inner diameter of 38 millimetres when in a whole state.

You may not use as bait or have in your possession any annelid worm or collect any red bait by cutting or in any other way dislodging the red bait from the substract, except red bait which has washed up on the shore. It appears that there is no restriction on the weight of red bait any person may have in their possession per day.



Prohibited areas

Regulation 10 prescribes prohibited areas in respect of fishing for recreational purposes. Provision is also made that between January and March, you may not harvest kabeljou within the area of Pelican Point at 22 degrees 53.934 minutes south along the coastline to a concrete beacon marked SV 1 at 23 degrees 19.216 minutes south and extending to two nautical miles offshore from the high-water mark (or between the 'Paaltjies; and Sandwich Harbour area).



Possession and transport of marine resources

A person may not have in his or her possession or transport in a vehicle or vessel any quantity of marine resources caught for recreational purposes:

- which exceeds the accumulated bag limit of three days;

- without being in possession of a fishing permit.

You may have in your possession or transport in a vehicle or vessel fish or seven rock lobsters on behalf of another person, if that person is present and is in possession of a fishing permit.

Furthermore, a person may not have in his or her possession or transport in a vehicle or vessel fish which is not in a whole state, if that fish is subject to the size limits mentioned above. In other words, those fish may not be filleted.



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