On March 16, 2023, the ERRA team visited Berbera as part of a fact-finding mission to inform the design of an intervention in the fish sector for Somaliland. The team visited the fish market and the fish landing site, where they met with fishermen and the women’s cooperative of fish traders. They interviewed some women fish traders to understand their experiences, challenges, and identify intervention opportunities.

The Berbera fishing landing site bustles with activity, with women traders and fishmongers waiting for fishermen to return from their daily fishing expeditions. These women traders wake up before dawn to prepare their children for school, organize pasture for their livestock, and set off to the shores to buy fish from the fishermen. During the high fish season in August, September, and October, they purchase fish within 1-2 hours of waiting, return home to prepare lunch for their children, then take their fish to retail markets and stalls within the town. Things play out differently during the low season, which falls in March, April, and May.

“During low seasons, fishermen do not sell the fish to us. Instead, they send the fish directly to their stalls and retail outlets, reducing our chance of bargaining and negotiating,” shared a woman trader. On such occasions, the women return home empty-handed since they have no alternative means of livelihood. Their livelihoods, therefore, depend on the catch from the fishermen, which varies over the year.

Under ERRA, TMA is looking at a more sustainable business model that can attract investment into more commercial fishing in deeper waters to ensure a more significant and consistent supply of fish and cold storage to improve food safety standards and the shelf life of fish.

Complementary to this, the TMA-funded Berbera Fish market is now completed and will be occupied by women traders. A first of its kind in the region, this market provides women with an accessible, reliable, safe, and hygienic place to sell their fish. We anticipate that the aggregation of fish vendors in this market will attract many consumers and fish retailers in the domestic market and, in the future, the burgeoning Ethiopian market.