Fish fiesta exposes Lake Victoria's dying fish stocks

The  hyped Fish Fiesta organised by Kisumu County Government at Hippo Point in Kisumu on March 31,2018. [Photo by Denish Ochieng/Standard]

A two-day fish fiesta has exposed an alarming dwindling of fish stocks in the county.

The event held during the weekend failed to impress, with only a few fish mongers turning up.  

A number of people, fishermen, and fish mongers who were present at the event said fish was rapidly becoming rare in the region.

With only two stands of fish in an event that attracted hundreds of residents, several people expressed concern over the future of the county’s fish sector.

Maureen Ogango, a fish monger, told The Standard that residents sourced for fish from other regions to sell at the event because of low catch from the surrounding beaches.

“We get our fish from as far as Uganda,” said Ms Ogango.

According to fishermen, tilapia, which used to be abundant in the in the region, has become scarce. The scarcity has driven up the prices.

“We had planned to cook a number of varieties but we were unable to get them from the beaches,” said Ogango.

Her sentiments were shared by Josephin Achieng, who said that a number of traders had turned to cheap fish imported from China.

“We would have loved to bring fish in plenty for the people, but there is no fish and the consumption is also low,” said Ms Achieng.

Maurice Achar, a technician at the Kenya Marine and Fisheries Research Institute, blamed poor fishing methods for dwindling stocks.

"The nets they have been using are illegal and some of them even invade fish breeding areas,” said Mr Achar.

But the Kisumu county director of tourism, Thomas Ouko, one of the organisers of the event, said it was a success.

"We brought other partners on board. We also discussed how we can preserve our fish stocks," he said.