Cooperating to conserve Benguela's riches

The cold, nutrient-rich Benguela current flows along the Atlantic coastlines of South Africa, Namibia and Angola, supporting a vast marine ecosystem. But, scientists warn, cooperation is key to preserving what is one of the world's richest fishing grounds. "There is a growing body of evidence to suggest that fishing and fishing methods have far-reaching impacts on marine ecosystems. These impacts may ultimately affect the productivity of the whole Benguela ecosystem and may also lead to changes in its species composition and habitats," explained Dr Kevin Cochrane, a researcher with the Food and Agriculture Organisation. Some 20 scientists from the three countries met last week in Namibia to explore practical steps in the management and sustainable use of a finite resource on which thousands of jobs - from Cabinda in Angola to South Africa's Port Elizabeth - depend. In terms of employment and export earnings, commercial fishing and fish processing is one of the fastest-growing sectors of the Namibian economy, contributing around 10 percent to GDP. The clean South Atlantic waters have the potential for sustainable yields of up to 1.5 million mt of fish per year, according to the US State Department. At independence in 1990, over-fishing had almost exhausted the resource, prompting the government to introduce conservative fishing quotas and aggressive policing measures. The continental shelf that houses the Benguela Current Large Marine Ecosystem (BCLME) also contains petroleum, natural gas and mineral deposits, including diamonds, which, if improperly exploited, could threaten a unique ecosystem. "At the workshop last week we discussed the key sectors, including fisheries, the marine environment, impacts of seabed mining, like diamonds along the coastline, oil and gas exploration and coastal zone management, and how to govern all this," Dr Hashali Hamukaya of the Namibian fisheries and marine resources ministry told IRIN. "The BCLME programme is a joint initiative by Namibia, South Africa and Angola to manage and utilise the resources of the BCLME in a sustainable and integrated manner," explained Dr Mick O'Toole, chief technical advisor of the BCLME programme. "Issues include the migration or straddling of valuable fish stocks across national boundaries, the introduction of invasive alien species via the ballast water of ships moving through the region, and pollutants or harmful algae blooms that can be affected by winds and currents from the waters of one country into another," he added. The BCLME programme has contributed to developing baseline scientific and socioeconomic data on the Benguela ecosystem and transboundary management problems. "The transboundary nature of these real and potential threats means that regional cooperation will be essential to their mitigation and prevention. There needs to be harmonisation of policies and management protocols for fisheries; for mining of diamonds; for oil and gas exploration and extraction; for mariculture; and for coastal litter and pollution of natural bays and harbours," O'Toole wrote in a BCLME newsletter. The BCLME programme, which is funded by the Global Environmental Facility, ends in 2006 after five years of operation. "The three countries are now preparing a report on our findings, to be submitted to all the governments for approval on streamlining our approaches nationally and regionally. We will also look into the possible establishment of a Benguela Current Commission, which is to deal with the joint management of our countries' shared fish stocks," Hamukaya said.