Aquaculture Development in Namibia: An Overview of Alternative Aquafeed Sources

Both the National Development Plan (NDP5) and the Government’s Vision 2030 place a high priority on the growth of aquaculture in Namibia. Namibia’s vast uninhabited coastline and an abundance of natural resources, including a large pool of potential aquaculture species, clean freshwater bodies, and political support, all contribute to the country’s favorable aquaculture development. Early in 2000, the Ministry of Trade and Industry led the Namibian government in an initiative to develop aquaculture, which resulted in the establishment of several community fish farms in the Okavango, Zambezi, and Oshana regions. The responsibility for growing the aquaculture industry was transferred to the Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resources’ Directorate of Aquaculture upon its establishment. In order to assist aquaculture farmers with the supply of fingerlings and extension services, the Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resources established a successful aquaculture infrastructure. The high cost of feed, which was mostly imported from outside of Namibia, has caused some aquaculture farms to fail. This made fish farming more expensive to operate, particularly in freshwater. At the Onavivi Aquaculture Research Centre, the Namibian government set up a factory to produce fish feed, where different feed trials using locally sourced materials were tested. This opened up new possibilities for Namibian aquafeed suppliers. These trials were not intended for large-scale production, but because they were successful, they have the potential to be scaled up. An overview of Namibia’s aquaculture industry’s development, current state, advancements in alternative feed formulations, problems, and possible solutions are given in this chapter.