Dr. Ellen Pikitch:

Part of the explanation is that those who were fishing did not back off in the way they did in Peru. When we had the big collapse in Peru in 1972, it captured world attention. The best and the brightest from around the world were brought together in a big huddle because it was 10% of the world catch. This was a big deal. Measures were taken right away to reduce fishing and give the population every chance of bouncing back. That did not happen in Namibia. It is a very different place and it is hard to say if that is the only reason.