Shadrack Kimani (right), the Lake Victoria Cage Fish Farming manager together with Beach Management Unit officials displays some of the fish being reared at the cages on the shores of Lake Victoria on January 20,2022 - Photo/Nathan Ochunge/Standard

It’s early morning at Mulukoba Beach on the shores of Lake Victoria in Budalang’i. Armed with lifesaver jackets, The Smart Harvest team is ushered into one of the waiting boats in the company of Beach Management Unit officials and sail three miles into the deep waters. The head sailor stops the boat and ties it on a guardhouse surrounded by 200 fish cages. This is where Nile Tilapia fish species is reared in cages. 

“We are more than 4,000 fishermen spread across 20 beaches in Budalang’i who are practising cage fish farming, a project initiated by the County Government of Busia following a drop in natural fish stocks in the lake,” says Sylvester Kaywa.

Mr Kaywa, the Busia County Beach Management Unit chairman, says the project was started in 2018 to increase fish production and reduce pressure on the lake due to excessive fishing. The beaches include Sio Port, Busijo, Buyuha, Busembe, Bumbe, Sumba Island, Rukoma, Nalera, Namabusi and Mabinju. Kaywa disclosed they harvest and sell 3.5 metric tonnes of fish daily with a kilo going at Sh300, wholesale price.

According to Kaywa, there is a ready market for the fish in Busia, Nairobi, Kisumu, Nakuru and Eldoret where they supply in bulk every week.

“Cage fishing has created employment to many jobless locals who are not fishermen. We hire them to feed the fish and guard the cages,” says Kaywa.

Alex Odongo, the Busia County Beach Management Unit Secretary, says the fish takes eight months to mature. After harvesting and selling, proceeds are shared among the fishermen who have invested in the project.

Mary Okoch, a fishmonger, says she makes between Sh2,000 – Sh5000 as profit daily from the fish she buys at Mulukoba beach. She says you only need to come with your money, send it to the a pay bill number and you get your fish.

“Initially, we would buy boats and fishing gear at Sh600,000. Buy fuel and food for the fishermen and pay them before they leave for an expedition. That was too much because one was not sure whether they would get fish or return home empty handed,” she says.

She added: “There is no more hustle and bustle in the sun and harassment from the fishermen seeking sexual favours before giving you fish.”

Shadrack Kimani, Lake Victoria Cage Fishing Manager, says the project was started due to the dwindling stocks. The cages are stocked in stages to ensure reliable and sustainable supply of fish throughout the year.

“The smallest cage measures two and a half metres square and can accommodate up to 2,000 fingerlings.

“A farmer spends Sh150,000 to make the cage which yields between 600-750 kilos of fish translating to at least Sh225,000,” says Kimani. 

Shadrack Kimani, FIsheries Officer Incharge for Bunyala Sub County and Cage Fish Farming Manager on Lake Victoria addressing the media on January 20, 2021 - Photo/Nathan Ochunge/Standard

The official says farmers maximises on the profits for the following season going forward because all that is required is restocking the cage and feeding the fish. 

“A bigger cage measuring five metres square would require a farmer to inject in Sh600,000 from construction to stocking. The farmer can harvest at least three tonnes of fish,” says Kimani. He says after the project started, they placed a ban on fishing on Saturday and Sundays to allow the lake ‘recover’.

Busia County Director of Fisheries Timothy Odende says the fish farmers only pull resources together to invest in the cage-fishing project because the county government offer them Nile Tilapia fingerlings for free on top of subsidised fish feeds.

What is cage fish farming? 

Shadrack Kimani (right), the Lake Victoria Cage Fish Farming manager together with Beach Management Unit officials displays some of the fish being reared at the cages on the shores of Lake Victoria on January 20,2022 - Photo/Nathan Ochunge/Standard

Odende says cage fish farming uses existing fresh water resources (big rivers, lakes and oceans) that can support aquatic life. In cage farming, a netted enclosure (enclosed fish house) is suspended on water body like Lake Victoria. The fish is then enclosed inside the cage made of metals and wire mesh. The mesh retains the fish making it easier to feed, observe and harvest them.

The system ensures that there is increased fish production of per unit volume of water and at the same time reducing pressure on the lake due to over-fishing.

According to Google, the fish are crowded in cages, and there is a relatively high incidence of disease that can spread rapidly. There can be localised poor water quality, such as low dissolved oxygen, in and around cages. Caged fish do not have access to natural food, so a nutritionally complete diet is required.


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