The department of fisheries in Nakuru has expressed concern over increased cases of poaching around Lake Naivasha.
According to the county director of fisheries Mathew Ngila, the lake has had many challenges including poaching and use of undersize nets which have affected fish production.
“At the moment we are not considering introducing fishing ban but this can be slapped if the fish catch continues to drop,” he said.
Speaking after a stakeholders meeting in Threeways Hotel in Naivasha, Ngila attributed the current drop in fish catch to the rise in water levels.
“If the ban had been introduced at this moment, it would have done wonders but currently we don’t have the manpower and capacity to sustain the ban,” he said.
However, the Lake Naivasha boat owners association warned that the lake’s fishery was on its ‘deathbed’ due to overfishing and pollution.
The chairman of the operators David Kilo who is now an honorary fisheries officer painted a grim picture warning that it was a matter of time before the fish production got wiped out.
He revisited 2000 when the lake run out of fish adding that currently, fishermen were having a hard time due to the sharp drop in their daily catch.
“Currently there is overfishing in the lake, illegal use of undersize nets and seining has become the order of the day and hence the present crisis,” he said.