Poor infrastructure costs Lake Turkana fishermen 70pc of catch

The Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) says at least 70% of fish caught in Lake Turkana is lost due to harsh temperatures, poor infrastructure and lack of cold storage facilities.

IGAD says the lake which is the fourth largest in the continent and supports communities in Kenya and Ethiopia has high potential which has not been exploited.

This came as it emerged that twenty of the sixty species of fish in the water-body were targeted by illegal fishermen with use of undersized nets being the norm.

This emerged during a coordination meeting between senior officials from Kenya and Ethiopia over the current status of the fisheries sector around Omo-Turkana basin.

Addressing the press during the retreat in Naivasha, Dr Eshete Dejen, IGAD Environmental Programme coordinator, said there was a need to address the high levels of post-harvest losses.

He noted that the programme apart from supporting the fishing communities around the basin would also look into the issues of marketing.

“Post-harvest losses in Lake Turkana account for a total of 70% mainly due to the high temperatures and the two-member countries are looking at how to address this,” he said.

Eshete added that IGAD had a three-year programme that was meant to empower the fishing communities through the creation of cooperative societies.

“The two countries should address the increasing use of undersize nets in the lake by making sure that the current laws are implemented,” he said.

The Director of Fisheries Rodrick Kundu noted that the lake had high potential which had not been fully utilized with fish catch standing at 13,000 metric tonnes as per last year.

He identified climate change as the major challenge currently facing the lake with harsh weather leading to a drop in water levels thus reducing breeding grounds.

“Lake Turkana has over 60 species and twenty of them have been exploited for years while a rise in water levels led to destruction of infrastructure around the lake,” he said.

Kundu noted that with the government improving infrastructure, there was hope of reducing the post-harvest losses and increasing prices of the fish catch.

On her part, IGAD Head of Mission in Kenya Dr Fatuma Aden noted that poor fishing gear had incapacitated the fishing community from accessing parts of the lake.

“We are working with member countries in improving the livelihood of the fishing community as fish is very nutritious and a source of revenue,” she said.

A senior officer from the Ministry of Water in Ethiopia Michael Moges admitted that the ongoing coordination would see challenges facing the communities addressed.

“The fisheries sector in the Omo-Turkana basin is not well organized and hence the need to form co-operative societies to assist the fisher-folk to sell their catch,” he said.