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There are more than 6,000 fishermen in the Lamu Archipelago, 1,000 of whom are lobster divers
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Diving for lobster in the Indian Ocean is a dangerous affair. Twalib said many fishermen have quit as it is not worth risking their lives for Sh500.
The coronavirus outbreak is causing chaos in markets around the world.
In Lamu, lobster fishermen are also feeling the heat as their export market dries up.
The strict regulations imposed in China, where the outbreak was first reported, to contain the spread of the virus have left the fishermen with no market.
For decades, the fishermen have sold their catch directly to Chinese dealers in Mombasa who then sell to Chinese exporters.
Before the outbreak, they would sell a kilo of lobster for more than Sh3,500.
But Lamu Fishermen and Dealers Association chairperson Abubakar Twalib said since the outbreak hit China, dealers have stopped buying their lobster as they can no longer export it to China.
Speaking in Lamu town on Friday, he said the fishermen are now forced to sell their catch to local dealers for as low as Sh500.
Lamu hotels used to provide another big market for the fishermen as tourists love lobster. Since the terror attacks in the area, however, tourist numbers have drastically gone down and with that, the lobster market.
He said many fishermen have quit as they are incurring heavy losses.
There are more than 6,000 fishermen in the Lamu Archipelago, 1,000 of whom are lobster divers.
Diving for lobster in the Indian Ocean is a dangerous affair. Twalib said many fishermen have quit as it is not worth risking their lives for Sh500.
On a good season, lobster fisherman and father of four Said Alwy took home at least Sh30,000 a month. Since the coronavirus outbreak, he is lucky to take home even Sh5,000.
“I just decided to quit and wait until this coronavirus thing is contained because we were operating on losses. Diving for the lobsters in the ocean is a dangerous affair and going through that only to sell cheaply is a loss that we can’t take,” Alwy said.
Lamu hotels used to provide another big market for the fishermen as tourists love lobster.
Since the terror attacks in the area, however, tourist numbers have drastically gone down and with that, the lobster market.
“Now we have lost both lobster markets, the China one and the hotel industry one. Locals can’t really afford the normal prices and so we sell at throwaway prices. It's unfair,” said Hassan Mzee.
The fishermen urged the county and national governments to intervene and help them get reliable markets.
Edited by Josephine M. Mayuya