News Analysis By Leo Odera Omolo In Kisumu City
Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda failed to manage Lake Victoria leading to a sharp decline of its most valued species, the Nile Perch
Experts have predicted that there will be no Nile Perch in Lake Victoria in the near future unless there is a drastic change in the way the resource is harvested, the Kenyan Fisheries Ministry has said.
Official statistics made available to this writer indicate that the stocks harvested steadily fell from 1.9 million tones to 1.2 million tones between 1991 and 2001.The figure further dropped to 544,000 tones in 2005.
Regional survey carried out in 2008 also show a further drop to approximately 299,000 tones, raising fears that the poor fishing, use of unlawful fishing gear, is rapidly depleting the lake of its economically important resources.
Kenya’s Minister for Fisheries Development, Dr. Paul Nyongesa Otuoma, readily admitted that the decline has led to reduced exports and less of revenue for the three states sharing Lake Victoria.
Fish processors contend that while they have instituted self regulation measures to address the declining fisheries level, which is the responsibility of the governments, this has not been strictly enforced.
According the Kenyan based fish processors and exporters association CEO, fish factories can barely operate at their optimum capacity leading to the collapse of several factories over the years.
“We cannot even raise the 10tons that most factories require to break even,“ said the CEO. There are eight fish processing factories on the Kenyan side of the lake, four are located in Kisumu City, while Nairobi Homa-Bay and Migori towns have one each.
The latest statistics indicate a sharp decline in the number of the Nile Perch from 1.2 million tones a decade ago, to 299,000 tons last year.
Besides the huge economic effects supporting the estimated USD 250 million annual export market, experts have linked to dwindling fish stocks in the lake to emerging fishing conflicts such as the row over Migingo Island and wars of an escalation of such incidents, id this is not adequately addressed.
Lack of commitment has been blamed for the failure of national initiative by the three governments of Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania to reverse the trend.
In the recent past, the focus has been on joint plans that have bit fared well so far. Last year, a plan to eliminate illegal fishing and trade in immature Nile Perch fish species in Lake Victoria by December flopped.
However, an Assistant Director of the Kenya Marine and Fisheries Research Institute[KMERI] Dr. Richard Abila, explained that though success was made in removing illegal gear, authorities could not keep up with the rate at which they were being re-introduced in the lake.
A joint communique by the Lake Victoria Fisheries Organization Council of Ministers that set the stage for the planned crackdown against illegal fishers alluded to this, saying, that as soon after the confiscation, the illegal fishing gear were immediately replaced by racketeers.
Drawing from the experience of the botched attempt, the governments of Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania are planning a fresh onslaught against the declining Nile Perch stocks.
A major security operation is planned in Lake Victoria later moth {April 2010} to mop up illegal fishing gear. The planned week-long operation is part of the regional initiative dabbed ‘Operation Save the Nile Perch conducted by the Lake Victoria Fisheries Organization {LVFO].’Te total biomass of fish in the lake was estimated at two million tones in 2007 of which 30 per cent were Nile Perch, which had declined to 15 per cent in 2008, a total of 91,000 tones of fish species valued at USD 319.4 million were exported, but in 2009, this figure had dropped to 81,000tones valued at USD 310 million.
Kenyan Fisheries Minister Dr.Otuoma said sad other effect of this decline include closure of some fish processing plants, while many are operating below their production capacity
Other effects said the Minister include re-emergence of cross border conflict such as the on-going dispute between his country and Uganda over Migingo Island, loss of income by fishermen employees and traders.
These issues, the Minister said highlights un-sustainability of the fish stocks and unacceptable status of the Lake Victoria fisheries.
“Scientists’ evidence has positively identified the root cuase of this steady decline in the un-sustainability of the fish stocks which by nature are predetermined.”
Ends
leooderaomolo@yahoo.com