Lake Naivasha fish yield has dropped by over 60 per cent due to illegal fishing.
The fishing crisis worsened following an increase in illegal fishermen in the last one year.
Fishermen have also attributed the drop to the use of undersize nets. They claim the reduction could lead to job losses among the fisher-folk.
This came as the Kenya Coast Guard Services officially launched patrols in the troubled lake arresting tens of youths involved in the illegal trade.
According to Lake Naivasha Boat Owners Association chairman David Kilo, fishermen are now feeling the full effects of the illegal trade.
Kilo who spoke on Friday said that the drop in fish catch had mostly affected the popular tilapia species.
“This is one of the darkest moments for the fisheries sector in Naivasha,” he said.
He attributed this to fishing in the breeding zones, failure to restock and lack of support by the county government towards the fisheries sector.
“In the past fishermen contributed towards restocking, only for the illegal fishermen to reap where they never sowed and hence the current drop,” Kilo said.
He said that the lake should be given time to ‘breath’ adding that a major clean-up exercise was needed to clear all the dead nets.
Naivasha subcounty fisheries officer Nicholas Kagundu admitted that fish catch had dropped but was quick to point to the current cold weather.
Kagundu said that it is the norm for fish catch to go down during the month of July due to a drop in temperatures, they expect this to change in the coming month.
“Illegal fishing has played a part in the drop in fish catch but the main cause is the cold weather which has forced various species to hibernate,” he said.
Naivasha subcounty commissioner Mutua Kisilu confirmed the operations by Coast Guard Services despite opposition from area youth.
He said that a multi-agency security team had been formed to patrol the lake with a view of dealing with the rising numbers of illegal fishermen.
“We shall not be cowed by the youths who are protesting over the ongoing crackdown as we have to rein in sanity in this lake,” he said.
(Edited by Bilha Makokha)
