Assembly adopts bill to address dwindling fish stocks in Lake Victoria

KISUMU, KENYA: Kisumu County Assembly has passed a new law which will see fishermen using illegal methods face a two year imprisonment.

The Kisumu County Fisheries and Aquaculture Management Bill, 2016 which seeks to address the dwindling fish stocks in the lake targets fishermen using illegal gears and those using chemicals.

It is not clear whether the law will run parallel to that regulating fishing and implemented by the Kenya Maritime Authority under the national government.

"No person shall use any explosives, poisonous or noxious substances or electric substances for the purpose of killing, stunning or disabling fish," reads the bill.

The move comes at a time when experts have attributed the dwindling stocks to the use of illegal fishing gears as well as the adoption of poor fishing methods.

Rodrick Kundu, a fisheries specialist with Lake Victoria Environmental Management Project told the Standard that a number of fishermen were using destructive practices that included harvesting of underage fish and invasion of breeding zones.

"As the population of fish continues to drop, many fishermen are now adopting bad fishing practices," said Kundu.

It also comes at a time when fishermen have also revealed that the reduction in fish stock is now at its worst since October with some fishermen even coming back with totally nothing from their expeditions.

John Manji, a fisherman at Dunga beach told the Standard that at times they only end up with one fish.

"We focus on different species of fish but those of us who use hooks to catch Nile perch have been ending up with only a single fish," said Manji.

As a result, he noted, some fishermen are pushed to look for various ways to improve their catch.
This however has left the County still facing a crisis in fish shortage.

Last month, a committee picked to investigate Chinese fish imports said Kisumu alone had a deficit of 4,000 metric tonnes of fish annually, necessitating imports from other countries like China.

The committee noted that fish from Lake Victoria had been dropping over the years, with numbers suddenly reducing from 5,000 metric tonnes to 2,600 metric tonnes per year.

The new bill, however, now seeks to improve the situation by introducing new regulations that also aims at protecting the declining lake fisheries resources.

In a bid to protect the aquatic environment and ecology around the lake, the bill has declared the County fishery waters to be a pollution prevention zone.

"No person shall intentionally or negligently place or discharge into County fishery waters," reads the bill.

"In a person who contravenes this section commits an offense and is liable for a fine not exceeding Sh350, 000 or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding two years," it adds.

A committee tasked to review the bill however said that the bill did not include strict penalties to curb imports of fish which has been an area of concern in the fishing industry.

"The bill ought to have included strict laws and regulations in order to curb fish imports that have become a thorn in the flesh of the County," said the Livestock, Fisheries and Natural Resources Committee.