Namibia has joined forces with the World Economic Forum (WEF) to address food loss and waste in its fisheries sector by adding value to fish byproducts, including heads, internal organs, skins, and frames. The collaboration, established under the Namibia Ocean Cluster, seeks to connect entrepreneurs, businesses, and fishers to foster shared expertise in the country’s marine industry, drawing inspiration from Iceland’s Ocean Cluster model.
The Namibia Ocean Cluster’s mission is to create a noncompetitive, collaborative platform, bringing together stakeholders in the Namibian seafood sector to maximize the utilization of all seafood post-harvest. This collaborative effort aims to drive new product development and promote economic models, research methods, and markets within the sector.
Several companies within the Namibian hake fishery are already exploring ways to capture, land, and process post-harvest fish byproducts at sea to add value to each harvested fish. The project’s goal is to expand these initiatives nationwide and increase investment in startups focused on reprocessing fish byproducts, such as heads, gonads, and livers, into high-value products. These products can find applications in the pharmaceutical and cosmetic industries, as well as for fishmeal and fish oil purposes. Additionally, specific byproducts, notably fish heads and hake livers, are targeted for repurposing for human consumption.
The collaborative project brings together policymakers, business leaders, and civil society organizations to create a unified approach to maximizing byproduct utilization. This approach aims to capture both nutritional and economic value from fish byproducts, contributing to sustainable practices within Namibia’s fisheries sector.