On the strengths of the high catch levels of the past, and based on related high expectations regarding the productivity of the resource (Sherbourne 2010), and in response to challenges from external scientists to the size of the original post-independence quota (Paterson et al. 2013), the Namibian government increased the total allowable catch levels from 60,000 in 1990 to 200,000 in 1999 (Fig. 1).