A fisheries task force wants the number of fishermen in Lake Naivasha reduced by more than 30 per cent.
Task force members said nearly 200 fishing boats on the lake are unsustainable.
The catch has dropped by more than 60 per cent. Hundreds of illegal fishermen, including jobless flower farm workers, have invaded the lake and use small-mesh nets to catch immature fish.
The cold weather also has been blamed for the paltry catch.
The seven-man task force chaired by Egerton University's Prof Francis Lelo said the lake should only have 60 fishermen.
In recommendations likely to generate heat from fishermen and traders, the report said the increased number of fishermen could deplete the current stock.
Lelo said the lake only needs 50 to 60 fishing boats. He called for increased patrols and surveillance.
“This lake is critical to the economy of Nakuru county and we need sustainable fishing. We must review the number of fishermen," he said.
The professor also said there was insufficient qualified and competent staff to deal with the crisis in the lake.
He said that after studies and talks with stakeholders, the task force recommended the establishment of the Lake Naivasha Basin Development Authority.
“There is no fish market in the area that meets public health standards while there is no fish food market and farmers involved in fish production have to outsource for feed,” he said.
Lelo said only three farms in the county were doing serious fish farming, despie high demand for fish products in the country.
Agriculture executive Immaculate Maina said the county was keen to support the fisheries sector as its full potential had not been met.
She said that the fish processing plant at Banda beach in Naivasha would be opened in a couple of months after the county equipped it.
Maina said that they were working with other stakeholders like KWS and Kenya Marine and Fisheries Research Institute to improve production.
“We shall continue restocking the lake every year and we have sought the support of Kenya Coast Guard Services to contain the rampant illegal fishing,” she said.
(Edited by V. Graham)
