• The lake has more than 200 licensed fishermen
• The number of illegal fishermen surpasses this
Image: GEORGE MURAGE
Fish catch in Lake Naivasha has dropped by more than 50 per cent in the last couple of months.
Overfishing, failure to restock and a rise in the number of illegal fishermen have been blamed for the drop.
The most affected is the popular tilapia species.
Despite the drop in tilapia catch, the number of common carp has doubled as demand for fish continues to rise mainly in Nairobi and Nakuru cities.
According to fish traders, the drop in tilapia catch had adversely affected their trade.
According to David Kilo from Naivasha Boat Owners Association, high levels of unemployment in informal settlements around the lake had pushed youth to look for a livelihood into the water body.
He said the situation had been worsened by failure to restock the lake by the county government, adding that it is a matter of time before the fisheries sector collapsed.
“Tilapia catch has dropped by over 50 per cent mainly due to over-fishing, encroachment of the breeding grounds and failure by the county to restock,” Kilo said.
“Currently, the lake is the only source of living for many unemployed youths and this has affected the fish catch, mainly the tilapia species.”
Trader Lucy Mukami said many of their customers prefer tilapia unlike the common carp species, which is now leading in daily catches.
“Due to a shortage in tilapia species, the prices have nearly doubled while the prices of the common carp have dropped as it is not popular with our customers,” she said.
Naivasha subcounty fisheries officer Nicholas Kagundu said plans were underway to restock the lake in the coming months with tilapia fingerlings.
“The lake has some challenges but the county government has set aside funds in the coming financial year for restocking as one way of increasing fish catch,” he said.
On the reported drop in fish catch mainly among the tilapia species, he said it is normal.
“The drop in one species is normal though we are engaging the fishermen to change the size of the nets they are using so that they can give the tilapia species a chance to mature,” he said.