Illegal fishing boats steal huge amounts of fish from Namibian waters near the Angola border. These foreign ships turn off tracking systems when crossing borders and fish at night close to shore. Most vessels fly fake flags from Cameroon but European companies actually control them. The stolen fish costs Namibia about 1.5 billion dollars each year from lost sales. Navy officers watch radar screens but cannot catch the fast-moving thieves.
Horse mackerel makes up most of the stolen catch from these rich fishing areas. Russian and Ukrainian crews operate many of these problem boats after losing legal fishing permits. The ships dock in Cape Town for fuel and supplies without any fish on board. Angola allows joint fishing deals but some companies are fake fronts for foreign operations. Three southern African countries started working together to stop these fishing crimes and share information about suspicious boats.
Horse mackerel makes up most of the stolen catch from these rich fishing areas. Russian and Ukrainian crews operate many of these problem boats after losing legal fishing permits. The ships dock in Cape Town for fuel and supplies without any fish on board. Angola allows joint fishing deals but some companies are fake fronts for foreign operations. Three southern African countries started working together to stop these fishing crimes and share information about suspicious boats.
