Fishermen in Lamu county have been recording bumper catches at sea ever since the dusk-to-dawn curfew was lifted, thus allowing them to fish at night.
According to records at the local Beach Management Units, major fishing hubs in the region continue to struggle with surplus fish, at least 10 times more than expected.
Fishermen say due to huge catches, they are forced to sell to local fishmongers at poor prices.
After President Uhuru Kenyatta announced the end of the curfew during Mashujaa Day last week, fishermen in Lamu said they were relieved as they can now venture out to sea at night when they make a good catch.
Fishermen from key fishing hubs of Kiunga, Ishakani, Kiwayu, Madina, and Mkokoni on the Kenya-Somalia border have appealed to the government to help them purchase more storage facilities to preserve the fish.
Others include Kizingitini, Faza, Pate, Mtangawanda and Lamu Island.
Lamu island fisherman Abrahim Ismael said the lifting of the curfew has not only enabled them to freely access the Indian Ocean, but has equally reduced harassment of fishermen by marine police and the navy.
“There is normally a lot of fish at night as opposed to daytime, when it's stressful to do any substantial fishing. The lifting of the curfew is a blessing,” he said.
Fisherman Ali Islam said the industry had suffered immensely as security agencies used the curfew to impose unnecessary regulations on the industry even during the day.
“Most people couldn’t keep up and quit, but now things are looking up for us because we can do this without any restrictions whatsoever,” Islam said.
The fishers have called on the county and national governments to improve fishing landing sites to enable them to operate in conducive environments.
They are hopeful the industry will effectively recover from the damage caused by the curfew. They appealed to the government not to impose further restrictions.
They have also asked the county government to set up fish processing plants so they can easily access the market.
Lamu county fisheries officer Simon Komu said the sector is currently performing at an 80 per cent rate but has the ability to reach 100 per cent before the end of the year.
Lamu has more than 7,000 fishermen spread across various islands of the archipelago.
Edited by A.N
