Catch of the Day - Project helps fishermen in West Africa
 Fishermen bring in a catch with their newly constructed net.
 Celebrating the catch.
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BUNTUBAT, Senegal– For the villagers of Buntubat, fishing the local lake has been their main source of food and income. But when two hydroelectric dams were built nearby, their livelihood became threatened.
The dams increased the amount of water in the lake, making it too deep to fish. Their nets simply could not reach the large fish that hovered at the bottom.
In July 2005, Operation Blessing teamed up with a local missionary to fund a micro-enterprise fish farm. A hatchery in Saint Louis donated 5,000 tilapia fish to initially stock the pond. Farmers then fish the pond periodically, allowing time for fish to multiply between catches so the project can remain self-sustaining.
When Operation Blessing’s Jon Cassel, the outreach center director for French Africa, paid the farm a visit in late October, he arrived just in time to watch the farmers try out a new fishnet.
“They went into the pond with it, circled around, and came out with at least 100 fish the size of your hand, and many smaller ones,” Cassel said. “This was a tremendous catch,” he continued, “the fishermen were ecstatic.”
After the fish are caught, they are sold in a nearby town. The profit from the sales is then fed directly back into the village to help improve the quality of life for the community.
“We have had two harvests so far, both yielding large fish,” Cassel said. “The project has been showing very positive results and the village is seeing the benefit of this type of fishing.”
Future plans include the construction of two larger fish ponds which will cover up to 2.5 acres. In the meantime, the current fish farm is doing well all by itself.
“It’s estimated that there are thousands upon thousands of fish in the current pond now,” he said. “It’s great to see the fishermen’s excitement.”
How You Can Help Be a part of what Operation Blessing is doing around the world! From fish farms and garden projects to sewing centers and technical training courses, your monthly giving can bring change to communities; one family at a time. Thank you for helping to break the cycle of suffering!
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