Officers from the Kenya Coast Guard Service have destroyed illegal fishing nets worth Sh600,000 retrieved from Lake Victoria.
The nets were seized during a crackdown on different beaches in Homa Bay county. Impounded nets were incinerated at Homa Bay County Referral Hospital on Friday afternoon.
KCGS operation’s commander in Lake Victoria Jotham Odera said the six nets were confiscated from 19 fishermen. The fishers were also arrested and are awaiting arraignment.
“Eradicating use of illegal nets in the lake protects young fish which are supposed to mature and multiply. The nets destroy the environment of the lake,” Odera said.
He said that the operation will continue in Kisumu, Homa Bay, Migori and Busia counties to weed out illegal practices in the lake.
“This operation will continue the entire Kenyan Lake Victoria because we want to make the lake a suitable habitat for fish,” he added.
Odera said that the operation will be extended against fishermen and boat owners who flout water transport and fishing regulations.
The operation will end the use of unseaworthy boats and prevent fishermen from going into the lake without lifesaving jackets.