Seismic exploration, tuna output unrelated – Katali

THE Ministry of Mines and Energy has rejected a media report based on information obtained from the Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resources that tuna catches had declined over the past two years due to a seismic exploration of gas and oil off the Namibian coast.

In an article carried in The Namibian on 24 November, a task force headed by the director of policy planning and economics at the fisheries ministry, Anna Erastus said they had proposed that seismic surveys should be done from May until September and not February and March, which are the tuna season.

“It is essential that a responsible coordinated strategy between Namibia and South Africa is developed, otherwise the fishing and oil and gas seismic exploration sectors will not be able to co-exist,” Erastus told The Namibian.

The Minister of Mines and Energy, Isak Katali, has however labelled the article as “sensational”, saying it was not presenting the readers with factual information, and was not in the interest of developing the country’s resources for the benefit of all Namibians.

“As seismic surveys are fairly localised and short in time, this needs to be researched before a definite decision can be taken as to whether the decline in Namibian tuna catches is solely caused by seismic acquisition. The headline (‘Government fear tuna depletion.. as oil and gas exploration chase fish away’) of your article is thus pre-empting on the research work recommended by the Government Task Force. It is jumping to a conclusion that is far from being justified, and can therefore be labelled as sensational,” said Katali. He said claims that 650 tonnes so far caught in comparison to the total catches of the previous two years are “statistically wrong” if one takes into account that the fishing season has only just begun, and will last until April 2014.

“Your article also fails to examine any other possible reasons for reduced catches. Your over-simplification of “seismic surveys taking place = no tuna” is highly unrealistic, and it is well known that nature is usually far more complex,” Katali added.

The minister said “it is hoped that a lasting solution can be found and the reasons behind reduced tuna catches can be fully understood”.

“Instead of blaming a single industry without proper knowledge and comprehension, I would therefore welcome The Namibian to join us in that spirit and engage in more responsible reporting,” Katali concluded.