Fish is food for the brain

The third National Fish Consumption Day was celebrated in Otiwarongo earlier this month.
The agency responsible for promoting fish as a sustenance, said “through the marketing efforts of the Namibia Fish Consumption Promotion Trust and days such as the National Fish Consumption Day, one of the most valuable natural food resources is made available and accessible to more Namibians.” Echoing this fundamental truth, Minister of Fisheries and Marine Resources, Hon Bernard Esau said “our fish is sought after internationally and exported to many markets in the world, but having a thriving fishing industry means little if our own people do not have access to this valuable natural resource.”
The National Fish Consumption Day, initiated in 2012, is the biggest marketing activity on the calendar of the fish consumption trust. Every year it is hosted in a different region.

The trust’s chairperson, Katrina Sikeni, said the aim of the National Fish Consumption Day is to promote fish consumption, increase consumer education around fish, promote fish species, teach Namibians how to clean fish and create awareness around the Namibia Fish Consumption Promotion Trust and the fishing industry as a whole.
On the market day, the trust set up a demo kitchen where a trained chef gave live demonstrations to the public on how to prepare and cook fish. Underlining the health benefits of fish in the daily diet, Sikeni appealed to the nation to consume more fish in order to build a healthier and mentally brighter nation. She said that statistics show that Namibians are indeed consuming more fish. During the 2012/2013 financial year the trust distributed 4600mt of horse mackerel, jumping to 6700mt in the following year.
At a gala dinner to conclude the celebration, pledges to the amount of N$238,000 were received from various donors.