In April 2018, seven women representatives of ten islands from Lamu participated in a learning exchange to southwest Madagascar on inclusive, and sustainable on octopus farming, that became a turning point to the group, now benefitting big from the kind of fishing.
For women like Amina Ahmed from Lamu county, who describes herself as “Mama Pweza (Mama Octopus) octopus fishery is so important where dependence on the marine ecosystem is high and livelihood options are few.
"Octopus fishing is done in shallow waters unlike men who often have better swimming skills and fishing equipment, can access deeper and more productive octopus fishing grounds that is why us women have taken advantage of this closure octopus farming," said Ms Amina.
She added, "At first, we closed the farms but we didn't despair since we got few kilos of octopus but after the third time, our catch increased from about 300 kilos to more than 1600 kilos, and since then, we never turned back."
Octopus closures are a form of fishing management where a designated area is closed to octopus fishing for about 3-4 months, allowing octopus population to recover and grow.
This practice is sometimes referred to as a form of "farming" because it mirrors agricultural techniques where crops are allowed to mature before harvesting.
By temporarily halting fishing, the octopus population can increase, leading to a larger harvest when the area is reopened, benefiting both the environment and the community's livelihood.
Octopus closures involve setting aside a designated area within a fishing ground and prohibiting octopus fishing.
Ms Amina said unofficial networking is now being officiated to reap more benefits by bringing together the fisher communities from tleast six countries along the Coastaline.
"With exchange programmes with other octopus farming communities, we will benefit by ensuring there is more resilient, inclusive, and sustainable fishing," said Ms Amina.
This week in Mombasa, more than 30 participants across East Africa and the South-West Indian Ocean, notably in Kenya, Tanzania, Zanzibar, Comoros, and Madagascar are meeting to evaluate current practices and suggest ways to improve regional blue value chains in small-scale octopus fisheries.
With the support of the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA), the African Union-InterAfrican Bureau for Animal Resources (AU-IBAR), the conference is a great chance to support the African Blue Economy Strategy (ABES) by giving young people and women a bigger say in coastal and marine resource management and reaping the benefits of these resources.
Participants will include technical experts, policymakers, community leaders, and representatives from national governments and Regional Economic Communities (RECs).
Through technical presentations, interactive sessions, and peer learning, the workshop aims t collect and incorporate stakeholder inputs to refine AU-IBAR’s study, identify and prioritize key actions for enhancing gender-responsive regional blue value chains and finalize a strategic framework for empowering women and youth through sustainable octopus fisheries management.
"With this validation event, AU-IBAR reaffirms its dedication to incorporating gender and climate resilience into the governance of aquatic ecosystems across Africa. The results will guide continental initiatives and provide AU Member States with the tools they need to build an inclusive blue economy that can help implement Agenda 2063 and the SDGs," said Fisheries Officer at AU-IBAR, Ms Hellen Guebama.
During the conference, participants are expected to validate findings from a regional study conducted by Prof. Bernard Fulanda of Pwani University, which assessed the current state of the octopus fisheries value chain and proposed mechanisms to enhance gender inclusion, climate resilience, and sustainability across the sector.
"Small-scale octopus fisheries are a lifeline for many coastal communities in the SWIO region. Women are actively engaged across multiple stages of the value chain—from gleaning and harvesting to processing and trading. Despite this, their contributions remain largely under-recognized in formal governance structures and policy-making spaces," said Prof. Fulanda.
AU-IBAR Gender Policy Strategy Expert Stephanie Achieng said specific challenges, limited value chain documentation, and the impacts of climate change have hindered the full realization of their socio-economic potentialparticularly for women who play a vital role in harvesting, processing, and trading octopus.
"With the project, we intend to bring together women to benefit from octopus farming to support their families. This can only be achieved through learning from different octopus farmers along the coastline," said Ms Achieng.
Mrs Achieng also noted these fisheries also face growing risks from climate change such as coral bleaching, rising sea temperatures, and habitat degradation alongside systemic challenges like unsustainable harvesting practices, limited infrastructure, and inequitable access to markets.
