- Approximately 150,000 fingerlings were released into the lake
- Since the inception of devolved units, Nakuru has not closed the lake to allow for regeneration of fish stock
Image: KNA
Nakuru government has restocked Lake Naivasha with Tilapia fingerlings worth more than Sh2.5 million to replenish the dwindling fish stock.
Agriculture executive Leonard Bor said his office is working with other stakeholders to curb illegal fishing.
Bor said he will come up with bills and policies to improve fishing business in the county.
He spoke in Naivasha during the World Fisheries Day.
Approximately 150,000 fingerlings were released into the lake and two mordern fishing boats handed to Karagita Beach Management Unit.
Kenya Marine and Fisheries Research Institute director Edna Waithaka expressed concern over catching of undersize fish.
She said the exercise has hindered regeneration of fish stock in the lake.
“By removing young fish from the Lake, you deny them the opportunity to rejuvenate themselves hence low market prices,” Waithaka said.
Since the inception of devolved units, Nakuru has not closed the lake to allow for regeneration of fish stock.
It has however restocked the lake with fingerlings every year to allow economic activities to continue.
Fishermen from Lake Naivasha expressed concern over activities of flower farms that have affected fishing at the lake.
Beach Patrol Leader Grace Kimani said some flower farms are using very large pipes to draw water from the lake.
She said this has reduced water levels at the lake, affecting survival of fish.
Kimani said the flower farms have also encroached and blocked various corridors making it difficult for wildlife and fishermen to access the lake.
Naivasha produces about 70 per cent of all cut flowers exported from the country annually.
Kimani said cartels have monopolised fishing activities and are carrying out illegal fishing.
Siltation and environmental degradation, she said had led to near disappearance of some fish varieties such as black bass.
Kimani cited insecurity at the lake that has seen unknown gangs attack and injure coast guards.
The fishermen appealed to the county to help them with funding to venture into aquaculture in order to ease pressure on the lake.
They also want lake cleaning to be included in the county’s budget and patrols enhanced to protect the lake.
The county is constructing a Sh239 million state-of-the-art fish market at Karai along the busy Nakuru-Nairobi highway.
The market is expected to boost fish market, address sanitation issues and provide job opportunities to the youth.
Currently, there are 300 licensed fishing boats manned by youth groups in Nakuru.
The county has only five fish landing beaches namely, Central, Karagita, Kamere, Tarambete and Oloiden.
Only Central beach had been gazetted leaving the other four without legal and official documents.
The county as at December last year recorded fish catch weighing 2,045,856 kilogrammes with an estimated market value of Sh248 million.
Lake Naivasha has for years supported thousands of families economically.
The five species of fish in the lake are Oreochromis leucostictus, Tilapia zillii, Micropterus salmoides (largemouth bass),Barbus amphigramma and Poecilia reticulata(guppy).
Some of the challenges facing the 139 square kilometre lake are; pollution, human encroachment and abstraction.
Department of Fisheries predicted Kenya's overall fish production to be 163,600 metric tonnes in 2021. Aquaculture accounted for 2.7 per cent.
Annual supply of fish is projected to increase to 75,000 from the current 50,000 metric tonnes by 2030.
This is if annual per capita fish consumption remains constant at 4.3 kg.