The small-scale artisanal fishing cooperative in Marsa Matrouh gathers 60 members. This professional structure could not directly market the catch that was sold directly to commercial intermediaries, with loss of added value and income for fishers' families, also causing migratory phenomena. Most of its fishers used to fish close to shore ("walking" technique) causing unbalanced pressure on fish resources. In this context, the need emerged to strengthen this type of organizations through the improvement of business and management  skills which became possible through the acquisition of equipment (ice machine) and technical "soft skills" of their staff thus improving the performance of their activities. 

The Stakeholders/actors active in the process of change are: 1. GAFRD General Authority for Fish Resources Development 2. Ministry of Agriculture 3. Matrouh Small Fishers Cooperative 4. Local Restaurateurs.

This initiative carried out by the NEMO KANTARA project has generated:- The four-fold increase in the cooperative's financial assets (from EGP 32,000 to more than 141,000) thanks to the purchase of a refrigerated vanette, cost recovery actions on the sale of outboard motors for members, and the introduction of innovations for fish preservation (ice machine and ice box) and protection of its quality and healthiness. In the long run, the expected results were: - Improved incomes of cooperative members - Increased visibility of the cooperative's catch to large traders.

The process adopted to induce the above-described change in the Matrouh small-scale fishers' cooperative was fundamentally based on a participatory approach complemented by training interventions, small infrastructure works, provision of equipment, and improvement of business and management skills at several levels, all supported by a cost recovery model ( off-board engines): 1. Training of administrative and management staff of the cooperative 2. Technical training on fishing techniques, hygiene, preservation 3. Training on the enhancement of poor fish, in synergy with local restaurants and publication of typical recipes to be proposed to national tourists 4. Renovation of a room in the cooperative where the ice machine was installed 5. Development and use of a logo to characterize the fish product caught by the cooperative.