Etosha Fishing Corporation Lands First Pilchards After 8-Year Moratorium

Walvis Bay, Namibia – 28 August 2025 – Etosha Fishing Corporation (Pty) Ltd today proudly announced the landing of its first consignment of pilchards following the recent approval by the Cabinet of the Namibian Government of a 10,000-tonne pilchards quota. This allocation, granted to EcoFish Farms (Pty) Ltd, marks the first official harvest of pilchards since the moratorium was introduced in 2018 to safeguard depleted stocks.

The historic landing not only symbolizes the revival of Namibia’s pilchard industry but also provides a lifeline to Etosha Fishing Corporation, which is the only functioning, operational, NSI- and HACCP-approved cannery in Namibia. With this quota, the company can restart full-scale canning operations at its Walvis Bay factory, securing the livelihoods of more than 450 employees and supporting thousands of dependents in the local community.

“Today’s landing is a milestone for Etosha Fishing, for Walvis Bay, and for Namibia as a whole,” said Mr Volker Paulsmeier, Managing Director of Etosha Fishing Corporation. “For eight years, our cannery has endured immense hardship due to the pilchard moratorium, surviving only through the import of frozen fish to keep our doors open. This quota allocation now gives us the opportunity to revive domestic production, restore jobs, and demonstrate the resilience of Namibia’s fishing industry. Importantly, Etosha remains the only functioning, operational, NSI- and HACCP-approved cannery in Namibia, ensuring that world-class standards are maintained in every product we deliver.”

EcoFish Farms, which was allocated the quota by Cabinet earlier this month, has entered into a supply agreement with Etosha Fishing Corporation to process the entire 10,000 tonnes at its Walvis Bay facility. This partnership ensures that the benefits of the allocation flow directly into the Namibian economy, stimulating local production, job security, and value addition.

Etosha Fishing emphasized its commitment to working closely with the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Land Reform to ensure that the resource is harvested responsibly, in line with Namibia’s sustainable fisheries management principles.

“We commend Cabinet for this forward-looking decision, and we thank the Honourable Minister Inge Zaamwani for her leadership in supporting the survival of this critical industry,” the Managing Director, Mr Volker Paulsmeier added. “This is not just about canning pilchards – it is about sustaining families, communities, and the heritage of Namibia’s small pelagic sector.”

On behalf of Etosha Fishing, the company also extended its gratitude to Mr. Ivo De Gouveia , one of its long-standing shareholders, for his dedicated involvement in sustaining Etosha Fishing over many years. Mr. Ivo De Gouveia played a crucial role during the moratorium years by personally travelling to Morocco and Mauritania to source frozen pelagic fish, ensuring the cannery could continue operations and safeguard jobs in Walvis Bay.

The landing marks the beginning of what Etosha Fishing hopes will be the long-term rebuilding of Namibia’s pilchard fishery. The company is also actively engaging Namibian partners to secure additional purse-seiner vessels to ensure the full quota can be harvested before the close of the 2025 season.