Etosha Fishing

Etosha Fishing Corporation is a majority Namibian-owned fishing and canning company based in Walvis Bay. It is one of the oldest players in Namibia’s fishing industry, tracing its roots back to the 1940s when it operated as the Walvis Bay Canning Company and pioneered the country’s first fishmeal and canning plant.

The company specialises in the small pelagic sector, primarily canning pilchards and horse mackerel. Its modern facility is regarded as one of the best round-can production plants in the world, with a capacity of around 600,000 cans per 24 hours, and holds HACCP compliance, EU accreditation, and NSI certification.

Etosha Fishing produces its own EFUTA brand of canned products (including EFUTA Maasbanker / horse mackerel and EFUTA Pilchards) as well as contract canning for well-known regional brands such as Lucky Star. Its products are high in protein and omega-3 and carry Halaal certification.

The company faced significant challenges during the multi-year pilchard moratorium that began around 2017–2018, surviving largely on imported frozen fish and temporary horse mackerel relief quotas to keep the cannery and hundreds of jobs going. It has since resumed processing local pilchards following quota allocations.

Etosha Fishing emphasises sustainable utilisation of Namibia’s marine resources, value addition, and local employment. It has won multiple national quality and manufacturing awards from the Namibian Standards Institution (NSI) and other bodies over the years.

Headquartered at 1 Rikumbi Kandanga Road in Walvis Bay, the company remains Namibia’s only fully operational NSI- and HACCP-approved cannery and continues to play an important role in the country’s fishing and food-processing sector.