Snyfontein community receives capacity support on small-scale fishing
In June 2022, the Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resources (MFMR), with technical support from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), launched Namibia’s very first National Plan of Action for Small-Scale Fisheries (NPOA-SSF).
As part of the implementation process for the NPOA-SSF, MFMR is executing a programme for the sustainable management and development of inland fisheries and aquaculture resources in the Neckartal Dam, located in the //Karas region of southern Namibia.
With support from FAO, a team of researchers from MFMR has undertaken a series of baseline surveys which will inform the development potential of small-scale fisheries in the Neckartal Dam. Preliminary results indicate that there are around eight (8) freshwater species in the dam.
Upstream, the Neckartal Dam supports the livelihoods of residents of the Snyfontein fishing community. Snyfontein is a settlement situated 35 kilometres upstream of the Neckartal Dam outside Keetmanshoop, the administrative capital of the ǁKaras region. The settlement is located in the Berseba Constituency and comprises over 200 households.
The Snyfontein community has a rich fishing tradition dating back to the 1900’s when they utilized traditional fishing gear and made use of the water-pools and non-perennial rivers which existed before construction of the Neckartal Dam.
Today the Neckartal Dam holds promise as a food and nutrition security option for the community who are intent on organizing themselves into the Snyfontein Small-Scale Fishing Organisation (SSFO). MFMR, with assistance from FAO, provided support to the community in the form of
- catching and identifying the various fish species found in the dam;
- demonstrating fish processing methods;
- demonstrating various fish preservation (salting and drying);
- fish preparation methods;
- discussing issues related to water safety and post-harvest best practices and
- Support to attend and participate at the NPOA-SSF Launch and celebration of the International Year of Artisanal Fisheries and Aquaculture (IYAFA 2022).
The Snyfontein Fishing Community is supported through FAO sub-projects which provide organizational and capacity development support to SSF and support gender equitable and climate resilient food systems and livelihoods, with a special focus on women led-small-scale fisheries organisations
To date, MFMR, with support from FAO, has provided gender transformative capacity development, organizational and postharvest support to more than 60 members of the small-scale fishing community of Snyfontein.
The training entailed demonstration from MFMR on the correct harvesting techniques and safety issues to be considered regarding access to the Dam. The training also included post-harvest good practices of fish processing i.e. gutting and cleaning, salting, drying, filleting and storing. Awareness was created on the NPOA-SSF and on the importance of the self-co-organisation of the Snyfontein SSFO.