The Namibian pilchard fishery

The Namibian pilchard fishery (Sardinops ocellata)

  OLRAC first became involved in the management of this fishery in 1995 at a time when evidence of a severe downturn in the abundance of the resource was emerging from hydro-acoustic surveys. OLRAC's activity in this area has covered the following two areas:

1. Scientific observers on research vessels: OLRAC established scientific observers on the research vessel on behalf of the industry for a number of cruises. The aim was to give the industry insight into the level of competence with which the hydro-acoustic surveys are conducted, given that these results are central to the management of the resource, and to the setting of the TAC.
2. Quantitative studies: Recent events have clearly demonstrated the vulnerability of the Namibian pilchard industry to the fact that the resource is not being regulated by a sound scientific management plan.

  There is no renewable resource theory underlying management recommendations from government scientists. This leads to reactionary TAC recommendations which are only loosely based on the most recent survey biomass estimates, clouded by an over-conservative and pessimistic philosophy about fisheries management. The result is that TAC recommendations fluctuate wildly, in response to the variability of pilchard detectibility by hydro-acoustic means. The situation calls for the following two modifications to the way the resource is being managed:

• The timing of hydro-acoustic surveys needs to be based on the onset of good sightings of pilchards by the industry using commercial purse-seiners.
• TAC recommendations need to be made within the framework of an overarching management plan for the resource which incorporates:
  
  1. a model of the population dynamics of the pilchard resource,
  2. economic constraints on the variability of the TAC,
  3. results from the hydro-acoustic surveys, and
  4. a long term goal for resource management based on agreed biological and economic risk levels.

  The aim of the quantitative work has been to try to move management thinking away from the current very reactive mode, to a more rationale approach which is based on sound quantitative thinking and which considers the medium to long term biological and economic implications of resource management decisions. The Namibian pilchard fishery has still failed to recover and was closed for the 1996 and 2002 seasons, and the TAC was set at only 20,000 tons in 2003.