By Leo Odera Omolo

Fish worth Kshs. 4 billion was caught in Lake Victoria last year, according to statistics from the fisheries department

Suba district produced the bulk of fish, accounting for 43 per cent of the 117,232 tones caught from the lake.

Neighbouring Homa-Bay had the lowest catch producing only 446 tons. Karachuonyo and Migori districts in South Nyanza contributed 10 and 12 per cent respectively, while Kisumu and Busia jointly produced only 83 tons, Nyando produced 1,981 tons.

According to the statistics, Dagaa {omena} was the most caught species, accounting for 42.2 percent of the catch

Nile perch , the largest fish export, was second at 39 per cent, according to the report 46, 558 tons of the fish were landed last year, Synodontic and Carias were the last counted species, both contributing only one per cent of the total catch

Other species were protopterus and Haplochromines as 2.5 and 4.9 per cent

Last year’s catch represented a decline from 2006 when fish worth about 6 billion was caught

The Minister for fisheries Dr. Paul Otuoma said that his ministry was in the process of changing of approach by encouraging fish farming for twice fishing pressure pm the lake.

He noted that while the global ratio of captured fisheries to fish produced in forms was 50-50. In Kenya farms produced less than one per cent of total harvest annually.

The Minister who was speaking in the lakeside lily of Kisumu said Ministry is set to launch a new policy next month as part of efforts to boost the fishing industry.

In parliament MPs this week urged the government to revamp fish landing beaches across Lake Victoria.

Franklin Bett the chairman of the Parliamentary seat committee on Agriculture bands and natural resources said the State should fins the installation of cols rooms in the 306 beaches at a cost of Kshs. 2 million each to turn around the sub-sector.

“ The country is losing billion of shillings annually over lack of refrigeration facilities in beaches to preserve fish in lake Victoria Mr. Bett said.

He said roads leading to the beaches were in deplorable state that affected the market of the Nile perch scheduled for the export.

“The government has to invest in the fishing such sector to realize more return” Mr. Bett Said
The country earned Kshs. 8 billion from the fish sub-sector with Ksh. 2.7 billion from Suba district last year.

Seventy percent of fish landed from Lake Victoria is from Suba district, most of which is the Nile Perch scheduled for export as fillets for the west and for east

Bett who is also the Buret MP was speaking in Kisumu when he led the committee members to the tour of Ogal Beach in Kisumu Rural Constituency in the newly created Kisumu West district.

Meanwhile the Kisumu branch chairman of the Kenya National Fisheries Association Mr. Jared Ochanda said it was regrettable that the local fisheries did derive much benefit from the resources.

“ This is a classic example of capital flight, “ He said a kilo of fish goes for 260 in the export market whereas it sold for only Ksh. 100 as the beach.

Mr. Ochanda disclosed that his association is soon establishing structure in the district surrounding the lakes to increase the fishermen awareness and bargaining power.

It was reported that the lowest has nested Ksh. 1.6 billion from export of Nile perch since the beginning of this year, according to the latest statistics from the Ministry of fisheries indicate.

The money was made from the sale of Six million metrics tones of this prized fish species from Lake Victoria. The fish product was exported mainly to the European Union countries, Israel and Japan.

The exported products included frozen and fresh fish fillets, scanned and skinless fish fillets, and headless and gutted fish.

The highest sales were made in April, with fish worth Kshs. 223o million exported.

January had the lowest export standing at Kshs. 174, million which is attributed to post election violence.

There are six processing factories and 316 landing sites on the Kenya site of Lake Victoria , Kisumu had three out of these factories, while Homa-Bay, Migori and Nairobi have one each.

Mr. Ochanda blamed the fish processors against whom the accounted of giving fisheries a raw deal because they to not speak with one voice. But an official at the western Kenya regional fisheries office said the fishermen also are substantial money how the fish sales.

At the same time the government of Kenya has anointed that it will soon establish a special fund to promote fish farming.

Fisheries Minister Dr. Paul Otuoma said the government also plans to push for new legislation to regulate the fisheries sector.

Speaker in Kisumu, the Minister advised farmers to venture into agriculture to meet increasing fish demands in the face of dwindling stockist

The funds, said the minister, would be used in develop hatcheries and provide extension to farmers will to refer fish.

The more, he said, had been prompted by the fact that the Lake Victoria when contributed in excess of 90 per cent of the fish to the Kenyan market was over exploited

The Minister said the proposed legislation walled restrict the amount of fish that could be remarked from the water body at any given time to make the fishing sustainable over the year.

Dr. Otuoma said that the improvement of the infrastructure around Lake Victoria was key to boosting fishermen’s living standard by eliminating middlemen from the supply chain,

The Minister said the installation of cooling facilities along the major beaches and value addition mechanism for the catches would gave way for an auction market where the foodstuff would be key commodities.

The more, he explained, would promote the packaging and branding of the fish from the lake in an hygienically and nutritionally acceptable standards.

Immigration Minister Otieno Kajwang district that plans were underway by East African countries to create a single fishing regime that would allow fishermen from the region to fish across boundaries.

The two ministers were speaking at the just ended Nyanza Economic Forum Kajwang’ said the more is expected to be a welcome relief especially to the fishermen in border area who constantly run in the wrong side of the law with Tanzania and Uganda a Authorities

The Nyanza Economy Forum intent to come up with a new development agenda for the region

Ends
leooderaomolo@yahoo.com

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Date: Mon, 11 Aug 2008 07:25:33 -0700 (PDT)
From: Leo Odera Omolo
Subject: KENYA EXPORTED FISH WORTH KSHS. 4 BILLION OUT OF LAKE VICTORIA