 Smoking is one of the oldest and common methods of preserving fish. The technique not only prevents the fish from going bad but also gives it a unique taste and flavor. In many parts of the world, fish smoking is mainly done by women who use the money and to support their families. Some kinds of fish are smoked, both seawater and freshwater. To obtain good quality smoked fish, you need to ensure quality from the moment the fish is caught, all the way until the fish is sold at the market. This can be hard to achieve for individual fish processors who at times even may make a loss. Eva Atisowe, leader of a fish processing group in Zimany in the Volta region of Ghana, recalls how they solved their problems by working together. Before we came together to form the group, we worked as individuals and should be told it was not doing us any good. However, after joining the group and maintaining good relationships with members, I have seen improvements, anytime their catch is plenty, I call on our group members and they immediately come to help. Together, we can process the fish much faster, which makes our fish look good. If you want to establish a group to improve your business, it is good to spend sufficient time to lay down the rules and to decide how you will work together. It is good for everybody to belong to a group. We have our rules and regulations as well as elected executives to streamline our activities. We share ideas for our progress, which is helping to improve our fish processing business. Meeting together is important for sharing information and for dealing with any emerging issues or discuss new market opportunities. We agreed to meet once every two weeks and each member pays a contribution anytime we meet. We use this money to pay for minor expenses of the group. Working as a group helps to improve the quality of smoked fish. Quality needs to be addressed at each step, from the moment the fish is caught, to the offloading on the shore and transportation to the processing center. When washing and smoking the fish and finally packaging it, fish is highly perishable and starts to deteriorate from the moment it is caught. As fishermen may spend a long time on the water, it is crucial that they keep the fish as fresh as possible. We buy our fish from fishermen. Sometimes they are met by storms on the lake, resulting in late delivery of the fish. We learned that this was making us lose money, so we decided to purchase ice blocks for them to carry along whenever they go for fishing. The fish always look good and fresh when the fishermen return with the fish covered with ice. Such small investments really makes a difference to preserve the quality of the catch. When delivered to us at the shore, we pour more ice on the fish and cover them nicely before taking them to our processing center. At our center, we work quickly without delay to prevent the fish from going bad. This makes our fish look appetizing and you will want to buy whenever you see them. At the processing facility, always ensure good hygiene. Keep hands clean. The women from either group also cover their hair and wear clean protective clothing whenever they process fish. Dig out the fish and wash the discarded fish three times with clean water. The first wash is to take out the blood and unwanted intestines. The second wash removes any remaining dirt. For the last wash, you can add a little salt to the water to give the fish some extra flavor. Previously, we just collected our fish from the banks of the lake and then straight smoked them on fire. Earlier, we did not wash the fish and at times it was hard to sell our smoked fish at the market. Now, we fish water into three basins and wash the fish three times before smoking it. Put the clean fish in a strainer or basket to drain excess water and make it ready for smoking. The way you smoke the fish will determine how the end product will look. The woman's group has been running its business for more than 15 years and are now using charcoal oven to smoke their fish. Make sure that the metal grills on which you smoke the fish are clean. We always ensure the grills on which the fish are smoked are washed. We pay people to properly wash them. Failure to wash them before use makes us no different from people who use outdated methods in processing fish. By smoking the fish on charcoal gives it a brown tint rather than a black burnt effect when smoked on firewood. We don't use firewood but charcoal and thus reduces the amount of smoke the fish are exposed to. This gives the fish a very nice color and makes them look very attractive. Consumers have also realized our fish taste better than others which were smoked over firewood. As a result, our fish are sold quickly whenever we take them to the market. Once the fish are smoked, leave it to cool in a place that is free from dust and away from animals. After cooling, we package the fish, add our label and transport them to the market. Our label helps in distinguishing our products from others on the market. So, what have we learned? By working together as a group, you can invest in new techniques and improve the quality and hygiene standards. Having a proper structure with elected officials means that the group has a way of growing together. Pay attention to quality from the moment the fish is caught. Make sure the fisher folks keep their fish on ice. Add more ice during of loading the boats. Weak hygienically when processing the fish. Dig out and wash the fish three times in clean water. Drain them to remove excess water. Smoke the fish on clean metal grills above a charcoal fire. Let them cool before packaging. Label the packages so consumers can get to know your quality brand. Our group has shown that women fish mangers can work together and make profit and also pay for our children to go to school. This makes us very happy. I challenge everyone to belong to an association or a group in other to achieve the best.