More than 70 kilometres of fishing nets were recently confiscated from illegal fishermen and destroyed by the Sikunga fish protection project guards.

Fourteen people fishing illegally were also arrested, according to a media statement issued on Friday by First National Bank (FNB) Namibia.

FNB donated N.dollars 200 000 to the project earlier this year through its FirstRand Namibia Foundation to help keep the project afloat.

The statement said during the patrols, the guards confiscated 13 canoes used for illegal fishing in the Zambezi River and this has helped conserve fish stocks in the river.

“In June and July illegal netting increased as the level of the river began dropping. Our team did a fantastic job on their patrols. We are also happy to report that the Ministry of Fisheries and the Namibian Police have joined the fish guards on their patrols and are doing a great job. They intend to join the fish guards for more patrols in the future,” it said.

The Sikunga project was established in 2018 for the purpose of protecting fish stocks and other natural resources.

It started as a voluntary endeavour and has since grown to a permanent programme with permanent employees.

Source: Namibia Press Agency