Fighting fisheries crimes in the fisheries industry: Practical training reflections of the efficacy of Namibia’s fisheries law enforcement

Abstract

Fisheries crimes pose a significant challenge to Namibian and international law enforcement organisations and/or agencies. Such crimes are typically distinguished by illegal actions that, in certain instances, are transnational and organised in nature. Illegal shipping of marine resources, illegal fishing, corruption, money laundering, and document and tax fraud are all examples of fisheries crimes. Fighting fisheries crimes in the twenty-first century is a vital priority for ensuring long-term development and protecting marine resources for future generations. It is an essential component of sustaining a justifiable blue economy, as well as resource sharing and beneficiation, which helps underprivileged groups like small-scale fishers to profit from Namibia’s exploitation of marine resources. Effective fisheries law enforcement is required in Namibia to combat fisheries crimes. To achieve efficacy in fisheries law enforcement in Namibia, traditional policing methods and instruments, as well as knowledge of law, criminology, police science, and fisheries management and conservation, are required. This is far from the case, as fishery inspectors and observers are routinely underfunded and undertrained, both financially and technologically. As a result, the goal of this study is to look into the effectiveness of fisheries law enforcement in Namibia in the twenty-first century. Data from the author’s Fisheries Law Enforcement training session, which took place from November 28 to 12 December 2022, in Walvis Bay, Namibia, was utilised to assess Namibia’s readiness in combatting fisheries crimes. The implemented training received excellent response from participants. However, the training showed significant shortcomings in Namibia’s fisheries law enforcement. As a result, recommendations on how to strengthen fisheries law enforcement in Namibia will be made in this article.