Increasing in Total Allowable Catch for hake and horse mackerel, is one of the solutions proposed, to create active employment for fishermen who recently resigned at Walvis Bay.

Close to 600 fishermen quit their jobs because they were not happy receiving a monthly allowance of four thousand dollars while sitting at home.

Representatives of the fishing companies, where fishermen resigned, were summoned by a Parliamentary Standing Committee recently.

Responding to the fishermen's frustrations over a lack of active employment, the companies explained that the jobs can only be created if the Total Allowable Catch for fish is increased.

The companies which consist of Cavema Fishing Joint Venture, Hodago, Camoposatu, and Venier Investment, agreed to put the fishermen on their payroll in 2020 in exchange for fishing quotas from the government. 

However, the companies say they could not afford to buy new vessels to create active employment for them because it is not viable.

"We cannot find employment at sea either onshore within the shortest time of period in Namibia in the fishing industry."

"If the TAC stays the same and there is no change in value addition in the particular specie product it's very difficult to create jobs even if you take one quota from one company and gives it to another, all that is happening is just shifting around the resource but will not create extra jobs." 

Another reason cited was the struggle for their vessels to land the quota because the fish migrated to restricted areas where they are not allowed to operate.

"The winter time from May to December you cannot be able to catch, you struggle. Equally this year we remain with an uncaught quota." 

The Wet Landed Horse Mackerel Association this year, requested the government to allow the sector to catch fish within the restricted 200-meter zone, to improve the landings.

The companies believe active new jobs can also be created if other fish species are imported and processed at Walvis Bay.