Surveillance intensified to curb unregulated fishing in Lake Naivasha

The County Government of Nakuru and Kenya Coast Guard Service (KCGS) have intensified surveillance and patrols on Lake Naivasha to curb pollution and unregulated fishing on the freshwater body. 

County Acting Director of Fisheries Mr Raymond Mwangata said widespread use of undersized and unsustainable fishing gears, habitat destruction, pollution caused by dumping of toxic waste and careless disposal of plastic bottles were the biggest threat to fish stock in the lake.

Mwangata indicated that the county administration was keen on banning the use and sale of the monofilament nets as one way of saving the sector that earned the devolved unit Ksh 300 million in the last financial year.

He stated that joint patrols by County Enforcement Personnel and KCGS were also tackling violent criminal activities perpetrated by organized gangs and illegal fishermen in order to restore confidence among licensed fisher folk and locals in the region.

The Kenya Coast Guard Service comprises personnel drawn from the police, the army and intelligence services and civilian professionals seconded from the Public Service Commission.

Mr Mwangata who spoke when the devolved unit donated 80 life jackets, 190 (four inch) and 200 (five inch) gill nets to 38 boat owners from Tarambete Beach in Gilgil sub-county observed that doing away with fish poaching was crucial since it threatens the livelihoods of more than 10,000 families that depend on fish from the fresh water lake.

“Illegal fishing has become very rampant in the lake. The number of unlicensed fishermen along the shorelines, and, unfortunately, on breeding grounds, has increased over the years since the early 2000s and sometimes they net more fish than their licensed counterparts.

“Illegal fishing gear also nets immature fish, their eggs and fingerlings. Legal fishermen were finding it difficult to operate due to the illegal activities by poachers,” said the Acting Director.

The joint operation, he pointed out, was enforcing strict controls to curb fishing on Lake Naivasha’s breeding grounds such as the Crescent Island, Oserian bay, Korongo bay and Malewa River mouth.

“We will not tolerate harvesting of spawning as well as juvenile fish by some unscrupulous fishermen who cast their net in the breeding areas,” stated the Acting Director.

The State Department for Fisheries, Aquaculture and Blue Economy has raised the red flag over the dwindling stock of common carp, the dominant fish species in Lake Naivasha. Experts believe that the black bass fish species is now extinct in the water body.

In the past year 48,542 illegal fishing gear have been confiscated from poachers in lake Naivasha.

Mr Mwangata observed that while maritime resources contribute 2.5 percent of the country’s Gross Domestic Product Kenya loses up to Shs10.5 billion annually from illegal fishing.

He added, “If maritime resources are properly and fully exploited they would bring the country more than Sh30 billion, offer jobs and livelihoods to thousands.”

He warned that unregulated fishing involves the use of outlawed trawling nets which can lead to the extinction of 76 per cent of fish species if not checked.

“Beach seining, mono filament and use of undersized nets are the most common illegal methods of capturing fish. Beach seining involves tying a fishing net to two ends, a few metres into the lake and then pulling it towards the shorelines.

When using the mono filament method, invisible plastic nets are cast in the water,” he explained.

According to Section 43 (4) of the Fisheries Act, it’s illegal to use nets of less than 127mm (hole size) when diagonally straight. It, however, sets a special size of not less than 10mm for omena fishing. The law also prohibits fishing 2km towards the shores.

Separately, County Executive Committee Member for Agriculture Dr. Immaculate Maina has indicated that towards enhancing efforts to curb illegal fishing her department had overseen construction of the Sh20 million Fish bulking, preservation and processing unit at Central fish landing site, while data collection centres and fish preparation tables have been upgraded at Kamere and Central fish landing sites on the shores of Lake Naivasha.

Dr. Maina indicated that the County Government came up with the Nakuru County fisheries guidelines in July 2020, which included reforms on policies governing commercial activities in and on the shores of Lake Naivasha in a bid to curb illegal fishing.

She noted that four boats have been procured to enhance day and night patrols as well as prevent fishing at fish breeding grounds.

“We have also introduced closed fishing seasons and enforced stringent regulations on appropriate fishing equipment as a way of managing fish populations. The County has started training programmes for communities living around the water bodies on sustainable fishing methods,” she indicated.

We have increased County patrol boats at all fish landing beaches to crack down on illegal fishermen. Improper fishing practices have led to destruction of fish breeding.

She added, “The County administration has embarked on community sensitization meetings on using proper fishing gear and the importance of abandoning the use of banned fishing gears and methods to reduce pressure on the Lake,” concluded Dr. Maina.