Despite evidence of active participation by women throughout aquaculture history, data to track female involvement in aquaculture can be scarce. The lack of gender-specific data means that many of women’s contributions to the seafood industry may go unrecognized. Below are some notable women in fish farming, what they do, and how their work benefits society.

Anais Legendre is from Normandy, France. She has been working at Cycle Farms in Ghana in a role that involves promoting ‘Enam Papa’ feed products for Cycle Farms. Anais actively communicates with the major fish farmers, and many medium-sized fish farmers, all over the country. She listens to the issues facing the farmers and works with them toward finding solutions.

She provides farmers with information and advice on modern farming techniques and encourages them to work in groups and collaborate with feed distributors, especially in the districts and rural areas. Anais Legendre’s presence in Ghana has helped many farms which were only doing small-scale operations to raise their production levels and output.

Victoria Parks from Florida, U.S.A is a co-founder and hatchery manager of the Seaventure Clam Co, in the hatchery's algae production facility. She worked with her partners to fill a demand at a time when the clamming industry in Florida was suffering due to a shortage of hard clam seed. By producing seeds for the commercial industry,  Victoria and her team are creating a product that benefits the environment through its natural ability to filter and seize excess nutrients that can harm the environment. The products are then sold by farmers, bringing health benefits to consumers.

Again, Victoria believes that by joining with industry partners, the clams can be used in future restoration efforts to re-establish Florida’s native hard clam population and clean up the coastal waterways. These processes help to promote the local economy by creating jobs and increasing ecotourism through restored ecosystems.

Another woman who is making strides in aquaculture is Sandra Ndulue. She is the founder of Ndulue Farms and Fisheries, the largest catfish farm in Nigeria’s Anambra State. Sandra founded Ndulue Farms and Fisheries in Nibo, Anambra State, after her first degree in marketing from the University of Nigeria. She aims to be producing over a million catfish in each cycle and employ over 100 staff by the end of the decade. This, she believes will help curb the rate of unemployment in Nigeria. Sandra Ndulue hopes to make an impact on the world of aquaculture, and on many rural women who follow her path.

Mabel Quarshie is a Ghanaian entrepreneur and the founder and CEO of Acquatic World Industries Ltd. She is into the commercial production of fresh tilapia and catfish. Mabel’s farm has created jobs for some Ghanaians, most of them women. The sale and distribution of the fish are mainly done by women. The women benefit by making money to support themselves and their homes. Some of them are also introduced to some skills such as drying, smoking, and salting fish. The women also make additional income from the by-products of de-gutting the fish. The fish waste is converted into cooking oil and this sale enhances the earnings of the women on the farm.

Pauline Nakyewa from Masaka, works as an aquaculture professional to help rural fish farmers and poor communities in Uganda. She holds a master's degree in environmental science with a focus on limnology and wetland ecosystems. Since 2020, she has been working as a freelancer on national and EU-funded programmes. One of which is Foodland, an initiative that aims to develop innovative, scalable, and sustainable technologies to support the nutrition performance of local food systems in Africa. Foodland also seeks to strengthen agro-biodiversity and food diversity.

Paulina aims to improve the marketability of farmed fish, especially from earthen ponds. According to her, pond farmers struggle to get uniform batches and therefore receive low prices for their fish. She believes that helping to devise a zero-wastage marketing strategy would allow smallholder farmers to make a considerable profit from aquaculture.

The World Bank predicts that aquaculture will be the world’s primary source of seafood by 2030. The lack of consideration for women’s role in the industry may discourage them from participating fully and equitably in the industry. Hence, gender equality should be ensured throughout the supply chain for global food security.

REFERENCE

Information from https://www.deeptrekker.com/news/history-of-women-in-aquaculture, https://www.fao.org/3/bc014e/bc014e.pdf, https://e4impact.org/mabel-quarshie-a-fish-farm-to-creat-job-places-for-women, and https://thefishsite.com/series/women-in-aquaculture was used in this story