Nutritious and affordable food is hard to come by in the remote community of Maningrida in West Arnhem Land, Northern Territory, Australia.
Now, a group of local fishers are building a seafood enterprise to provide the town with fresh, cheap fish and much-needed jobs.
“We love it and we like standing in the water and walking on the beach,” Maningrida fisherman Randall Darcy said.
Mr Darcy is part of one of the few Indigenous-owned fishing companies in the Territory, Maningrida Wild Foods.
Maningrida, on the Arafura Sea, is home to about 2,300 people.
It is 500 kilometres east of Darwin and most supplies, including fresh food, come by barge.
The high transport costs make food expensive.
Maningrida Wild Foods is part of Bawinanga Aboriginal Corporation’s (BAC) enterprise development program, which is fostering social enterprise to tackle the community’s issues.
BAC enterprise development officer Rowan McIntyre said improving food security was the main objective for the business.
Mr McIntyre said the local fish markets were held weekly at the supermarket and offered one of the cheapest sources of protein in town.
“We do have a big focus on healthy eating and providing a local source of protein, and what’s healthier than fish?” he said.
This year, the crew made its first commercial catch of wild barramundi.
Maningrida Wild Foods leases a portion of a commercial licence and is the only Indigenous group to operate a barramundi business in the Territory.
“We hope to provide employment, a fresh source of food, and it’s something that gets people back out on country,” Mr McIntyre said.
Maningrida has an official unemployment rate of 25 per cent.
The barramundi operation provides 18 locals with much-needed jobs.