The Namibia Fish Consumption Promotion Trust (NFCPT) is gearing up for the 11th annual Fish Consumption Day, to be held in Katima Mulilo in the Zambezi Region.

The NFCPT commenced their promotional campaign with a road show, which will, for the first time, cover all six constituencies of the region between September 20 and 29.

On September 30, after the road show, there will be celebrations honouring Fish Consumption Day at the Katima Mulilo Sports Complex.
 
The event will be officiated by the Minister of Fisheries and Marine Resources, Derek Klazen.

The Minister of Fisheries and Marine Resources, Derek Klazen, has commended the achievements made by the Namibia Fish Consumption Promotion Trust (NFCPT) at Ondangwa, calling on the Katima Mulilo Town Council and the City of Windhoek to provide suitable land to construct retail fish shops.

Klazen made the call during the 11th edition of the NFCPT Day gala dinner held at Walvis Bay, where N$410,000 was raised for schools in the Zambezi Region.

The Minister of Fisheries and Marine Resources, Derek Klazen, has pleaded with the industry to give his ministry more time to conduct pre-licencing investigations.
 
This, Klazen says, will help to avoid the licencing of vessels linked to illegal, unregulated, and unreported fishing activities or having to partake in them.

Klazen's response follows a number of complaints from would-be licensees that the ministry takes too long to issue vessel licences.

590 former employees of Okapale Fishing handed over a petition to the Minister of Fisheries and Marine Resources, Derek Klazen.

These fishermen, formerly employed by various fishing companies, lost their jobs due to their participation in an illicit strike.

Since their unemployment in 2015 following an industrial protest led to job terminations, they were allocated to joint venture firms—Alube Fishing, Rukatuka Investment, and Namfi Fishing Möwe Baai—with the assurance of receiving retroactive initial salaries from July 1.

The Minister of Fisheries and Marine Resources, Derek Klazen, has appealed to community members and stakeholders to help fight illegal fishing in the Zambezi Region.

Klazen and his delegation are on a four-day tour of the region to engage with various stakeholders and visit several fish farms.

These are the Likunganelo, Chata, and Imuran Fish Farms.

The delegation also visited the Katima Mulilo Open Market.

The battle for the reemployment of 1,130 unemployed fishermen who lost their jobs eight years ago could be over soon.

The Minister of Fisheries and Marine Resources, Derek Klazen, made the announcement during a media briefing at Walvis Bay.

These fishermen, who were previously employed by various fishing companies, lost their jobs as a result of their participation in an illegal strike.

Last year, Cabinet directed the Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resources to issue a public call for competent companies that could offer permanent employment to these workers.

The annual Crayfish Festival creates a platform for the development of the domestic economy of Luderitz as well as for the fulfillment of the increasing need for intercultural dialogue. 

The Minister of Fisheries and Marine Resources, Derek Klazen, said this when he officially opened the festival. 

The annual festival that is being held this year under the theme 'Our Ocean-Our Legacy' serves as an enabler for the harbor town's economy and positions it as a tourist destination. 

Close to 700 unemployed fishermen at Walvis Bay have secured permanent and full-time jobs at four fishing companies.

This follows an agreement signed by the Fisheries and Marine Resources Minister with the companies recently.

The fishermen were part of the mass resignations witnessed at Walvis Bay in August last year.

Over 600 resigned because they were not happy with being paid the N$4,000 monthly allowance while they had no active jobs.

The Fisheries and Marine Resources Minister Derek Klazen has called on local entrepreneurs and the fishing industry to add value to all their products.

Klazen visited a polystyrene manufacturing plant in Walvis Bay.

The plant is owned by the Merlus Group of Companies, which invested about N$50 million to acquire the land.

Merlus is a fishing company that processes and exports fish to the European market. 

20% of the fish is exported as fresh hake by flying it from Walvis Bay, where it arrives in Spain the next day. 

A N$70 million fish processing plant has been inaugurated by Fisheries and Marine Resources Minister Derek Klazen at Walvis Bay.

The factory is the third one that the Merlus Group of Companies has set up in the harbor town.

According to the Merlus Cormorant Fishing Director, the journey of building a factory started years ago, when he merely used to buy and resell fish from his garage.

Soon after, Julio Lloves teamed up with other small companies and bought a vessel where fish was processed offshore.