Namibia Fish Quota Auctions. Do They Threaten the Sustainability of the Fishing Industry?

Is auctioning of government objective fish quota threatening the sustainability of the Namibian fishing industry? This report follows developments over the past three years.

Although it is illegal for right holders to sell their quotas and to do so they could expect drastic actions, selling government objective fish quota on auction is not illegal. The Namibian government has been doing this since 2020, but and it raises the question of whether this is just easy money at the expense of the sustainability of its commercial fishing industry.

Not only are the auctions taking place more frequently and earlier in the fishing season, but the government objective fish quota put up for auction appears to be increasing in tonnage as well as reserve price in order to raise more money.