Bycatch in the Marine Capture Fishery, a Potential for Food Security: A Case of Namibia’s Hake Bottom Trawl Fishery

Bottom trawling, a pervasive demersal fishing technique, is intrinsically non-selective and consequently yields substantial quantities of bycatch, much of which is routinely discarded at sea. The present chapter critically examines the taxonomic composition, spatial heterogeneity, and temporal trends of bycatch in Namibia’s hake-directed bottom trawl fishery over the period 1997–2014, with a view to assessing its untapped potential for bolstering national food security programmes. An extensive observer dataset comprising 4256 sampling events was analysed to characterize 23 bycatch taxa, which collectively amounted to 9,031,480 tonnes of incidental catch. Five species, namely, Trachurus capensis, Trachipterus trachypterus, Helicolenus dactylopterus, Lophius vomerinus, and Genypterus capensis, dominated, accounting for 63.09% of the total bycatch biomass. Multivariate statistical techniques were employed to elucidate spatial patterns. Notably, central and southern fishing grounds exhibited consistently elevated densities of key bycatch species, indicating robust, geographically stable biomass ‘hotspots’. These findings underscore the dual ecological and socio-economic value of bycatch taxa. By formalizing the retention and landing of a portion of currently discarded bycatch, Namibia could generate a reliable, low-cost source of marine protein for school-feeding initiatives, drought relief efforts, and orphanage support, without exacerbating fishing pressure. The chapter concludes with policy recommendations to amend retention regulations, protocols for post-harvest handling, and strategies for integrating low-value species into domestic relief and market supply chains, thereby transforming discarded biomass into a tangible contribution to national food security.