The Socio-Economics of the West, Central and Southern African Coastal Communities

2.1 The Economic Impact of the BCLME

BCLME Fisheries

and the Western Cape of South Africa, have created a society based on the fishing culture. 85

For the people of Angola, Namibia and South Africa, the BCLME fisheries supply nourishment, employment, enterprise, revenue and a way of life. Angolans rely almost solely on fish as their source of protein, directly consuming 11.1 kg per person per annum, while South Africa’s fishing industry supplies food for thewhole South African subregion. Angola’s revenues from fish product exports amount to millions of U.S. dollars, and in all three countries, most fishing companies are locally owned or are joint ventures with foreign companies. In Angola, artisanal fishing and informal fish trading, which involve thousands, mostly women, are a part of local culture. Similarly, local employment in fishing-sector jobs has been growing in Namibia since its independence in 1990. Populations, specifically inmajor fishing ports such asWalvis Bay of Namibia (where most of the country’s processing plants are located)

The total BCLME fisheries catch (2006) is 966,000 tons, giving rise to a DOI of US$ 517 million annually (see appendix A). 86 The DOI is the product of landed quantities of fish and ex-vessel prices or “the prices that fishers receive when they sell their catch” and does not include costs. 87 The BCLME fishing sector employs approximately 75,000 people per year (Figure 6). 88 Of the three BCLME countries, Namibia brings in the largest catch, with a DOI of US$ 303 million – roughly three times that of Angola or South Africa (Figure 5). Despite Namibia’s huge economic gains, the fishing sector employs over twice asmany people in both Angola and South Africa as it employs in Namibia (Figure 6). 89

South Africa 30,000

South Africa $109 Africa $109

Angola $105 An 0

Angola 31,000

Namibia $303

Namibia 14,000

Figure 5: Direct Output Impact from the BCLME Fisheries in US$ million (2006). Source: Sumaila (2015).

Figure 6: Number of People Employed by the BCLME Fisheries (2006). Source: Sumaila (2015).

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