IPNLT & Kumbatia Seafood High Season - Fisher Training
At Kumbatia Seafood, we are committed to continuously improving our practices to ensure our fishers consistently deliver high-quality products for our customers. Last month, we partnered with the Northern Rangelands Trust and International Pole & Line Foundation (IPNLF) for a training session aimed at refining our tuna handling techniques and exploring the potential of developing a high-volume mahi-mahi sourcing program in Kenya.
IPNLF provided updated training on best practices for ikejime, headed & gutted, and gilled & gutted tuna handling. These in-person practicals emphasized the importance of proper post-harvest processing on board, including spiking, to prevent rigor mortis (muscle contractions that create heat energy and the build-up of lactic acids in the fish which can essentially cook the fish internally) and thus preserve the quality and texture of the tuna.
We conducted these training sessions with over 75 fishermen from Amu and Kiwayu BMUs. The program covered each step of the fish handling process, from gear preparation to gaffing, spiking, bleeding, and reaming, through to ice slurry cold storage on board and in transit. These steps are crucial in ensuring that our tuna meets the standards required by premium markets. By mastering these techniques even beyond what our fishers had been trained on to date, access to higher-value markets becomes more plentiful, and livelihood enhancement for our partner fishing communities can, in theory, improve as a result.
As mentioned above, we also began early-stage development plans for a fully-fledged mahi-mahi sourcing program in our northernmost sourcing communities. Because of heavy pressure on demersal species throughout the world, Kumbatia believes that developing sourcing programs for less-pressured pelagics like mahi-mahi is important for long-term company viability from both an environmental and commercial standpoint.
We’re grateful to our partners at IPNLF and NRT for all the amazing work they do to keep us honest and help us stay true to our mission.
