The story of Rosie Malan is an inspiring one that she shares proudly, highlighting the strength and resilience of a small-scale fisher woman.
Rosie was born and raised in Port Nolloth and worked at the fish factory on the harbour until it closed down in 1993. Knowing no other work, she approached the owners of the old factory building and set up a small fish and chips shop in the harbour. Over the years, she has expanded her work further into the building, adding new sections as her financials allowed, and incorporating more nodes of the value chain activities.
She has since developed an efficient facility for the processing, storage, and quality control of the fish that is landed at the harbour. Her husband, who previously worked at the factory as well, has assisted her in the building of the storage tanks and piping. All of the West Coast Rock Lobster that the Aukatowa Small-scale Fishing Cooperative sells for export goes through Rosie’s hands and her facility. She is an important member of this small-scale Cooperative, playing an integral role in the post-harvest activities, as well as acting as secretary.
During the snoek and lobster season, Rosie employs three women and two men from the community to assist with the cleaning and processing of fish, as well as cooking for the fish shop.
Rosie says that nobody can work as fast as she can, and nobody is as motivated as she is. She sees opportunity in one further expansion of her facility, which would close off the back of the building and increase the efficiency of the landed species reaching her factory. She holds a wealth of knowledge and experience which can be shared with small-scale fishers across the country.