Not enough support for EA fisheries, officials say

Beach management units on the Kenyan shoes of Lake Victoria are doing little to help the ailing fisheries sector get back on its feet.

According to the deputy director of Kenya Marine Fisheries Research Institute in charge of inland waters, Dr Richard Abila, Kenya is far behind Tanzania and Uganda as the concept was introduced in the country in 2000, years after the other two.

Dr Abila says among the gains made by beach management units is the fostering of a sense of ownership among the fisherfolk.

However, he said that there is a need to increase their capacity by giving them patrol boats and other equipment; besides making them function independently.

According to Assistant Director of Fisheries in charge of the Western Kenya region, Michael Obadha, only 60 per cent of the BMUs on the Kenyan side are effectively discharging their duties.

This has consequently held back the country’s efforts to enforce regionally agreed upon regulations to rejuvenate the fishery that experts say, is on its deathbed.

For instance, Kenya is yet to comply with an initiative by the Lake Victoria Fisheries Organisation to rid the lake of illegal gears by the end of the year.

The illegal equipment includes mono-filament nets, beach seines, trawling, cast nets, purse seining and power beach seines.

As at 2006, official statistics indicated that there was approximately 3,500 beach seines, 2,500 mono filament nets and 3,000 power beach seines.

Presently, the country’s progress in achieving this stands at 38 per cent, over 10 per cent shy off the target.

Although fisheries officials insist that the December deadline is attainable, it is clear that much more needs to be done if it is to be achieved.

One way of doing this would be through re-examining how BMUs are run with a view to making them more effective.

A wide range of ideas have been floated including roping in members of the Provincial Administration and the police in weeding out illegalities.

A recent mission by the executive committee of LVFO on the lake’s beaches found out that the role of BMUs in enforcement of fisheries management measures has not been distinguished.