Kilifi, Kenya: Governor Amason Kingi has said he will revive all the 300 fish ponds in the county built during the Grand Coalition Government in which he served as a Fisheries minister.

The governor said most of these ponds, built with funds sourced through the economic stimulus programme, have not been operational due to various challenges.

MORE FISH

Mr Kingi said some ponds have dried up due to lack of water while others do not have ground linings to stop water from drying up.

"My administration has resolved to set aside funds and revive all fish ponds dug in this county," he said.

Speaking at the weekend when he officially launched two engine fish boats at the old ferry, Kingi said as fishermen venture into the ocean waters, others can engage in fish farming using the dug-out ponds.

The governor said each of the 13 beach management units in the county will be given one engine fishing boat.

"My administration is working to equip these units so that their members can venture into serious fishing business," he said.

Kingi said failure by local fishermen to venture into deep sea fishing is making them record low fish catch.

The governor said the engine boats will now give local fishermen an opportunity to engage in deep sea fishing and make good catches.

He expressed concern that the coastal region produces the lowest tonnage of fish in the country yet it has a vast coverage of water.

The governor blamed the Government for neglecting the fishing sector at the Coast by concentrating too much on Lake Victoria and other upcountry water sources.

He said fishing is one of the country's major foreign currency earners yet fishermen at the Coast get little out of it because the Government has failed to empower them with modern fishing gear.

Kingi said his administration has plans to put up fish cooling facilities in the area and fish landing sites so that fishermen are able to preserve their catch and look for better markets.

He said its unfortunate that fishermen in the area are forced to sell their produce at throw away prices because they do not have cooling storage facilities.

RESCUE MISSIONS

Apart from helping to boost the fishing sector, Kingi said the engine boats will also come in handy during life saving missions when disaster strikes in the ocean since they are equipped with modern two-way communication gadgets.

He said many fishermen lose their lives in the ocean and that the Kilifi Sea Disasters Savers Group will coordinate with his administration to save lives when distress calls are made.