SEPTEMBER 2018

VOLUME1 ISSUE 1

KMFRI

BOUNTIES OF LAKE VICTORIA

BOUNTIES OF LAKE VICTORIA
Cage culture real story: Make money
through cage fish farming in Lake
Victoria

Inside this issue

Foreward………………………....2
Cage culture in Lake Victoria…..3
Towards Fish health… …..……..7
Fish landings in Lake Victoria…..9
Pictorial News……………………10
Water Hyacinth………………….12
Water quality in Rivers………....13
Catch Assessment ..... …………..14
Omena Fishery ......... ……………16
Lake Victoria Repository……….17
Upcoming events ...... ……………18
Business wing……...…………..…18
Fish biowaste…………………......19

KISUMU CENTER NEWSLETTER1

Message from the Director
Kenya Marine and Fisheries Research
Institute (KMFRI) is a State Corporation estab-
lished in 1979 following the break-up of the East
African Community in 1977. KMFRl's mandate
is to undertake research in "marine and freshwa-
ter fisheries, aquaculture, environmental and
ecological studies, and marine research including
chemical and physical oceanography". KMFRI’s
mission is to generate and disseminate scientific
information for sustainable utilization of marine
and fisheries resources, development of strategic
enterprises, food security, employment creation,
conservation and restoration of the aquatic envi-
ronment. In this regard, KMFRI promotes dis-
semination of aquatic research findings in vari-
ous platforms such as social and mainstream me-
dia. In this case, information dissemination
through newsletter comes in handy to capture
various audiences to ensure that the information
shared reaches the relevant stakeholders optimal-
ly.
Fisheries is an important sector in Kenya
providing direct employment opportunities to
over half a million people and supporting over
2m people indirectly. The future of fisheries is
promising if we can fully exploit off shore areas
and commercialize fish farming. Cage farming
has picked up in Lake Victoria, supplementing
the declining capture fisheries. The sector can
therefore significantly contribute to the Blue
economy.
James Muriithi Njiru (Ph.D)
DIRECTOR/ CEO KMFRI
2
Message from the Assistant Director
KMFRI Kisumu Research Centre is situated to
the West of Kisumu town on the Winam Gulf of
Lake Victoria at an altitude of 1190m. The offices
are along Nkrumah road, approximately 2Km off Ki-
sumu - Busia road opposite the National Cereals and
Produce board. Kisumu Research Centre is the head-
quarters of inland waters stations namely: Lake Tur-
kana Station, Lake Baringo Station, and Lake
Naivasha Station. The Centre undertakes fisheries
research under the following programmes: fisheries,
environment, aquaculture, ecology and socio-
economics. It co-ordinates research work in various
main freshwater bodies, rivers and small water bod-
ies.
The center works towards various interven-
tions to address the declining capture fisheries with-
in the Lake Victoria region, Kenya. Among them in-
clude mapping of suitability sites for cages towards
sustainability, development of a manual on best prac-
tices in cage culture and monitoring of environmen-
tal pollution of rivers draining into the Lake since
they are the main sources of pollution. Policy briefs
have been developed on the best gear for exploitation
of the main commercial catches of the Lake. Moving
forward, more will be done towards sustainability of
the Lake’s ecosystem.
Bounties of Lake Victoria (Vol 1 Issue 1) is
the first newsletter that show-cases milestones in
fresh-water news on bi-annual basis.
Christopher Aura (Ph. D)
AD/CD FRESHWATER SYSTEMS
COVER STORY

Cage Culture in Lake Victoria. Cage design

A Stimulus for economic growth in the Lake region
By : Veronica Ombwa
Cage culture in Lake Victoria has largely boosted
production of farmed fish in the country. A 2017 survey rec-
orded a rapid rise of cages from 1,663 (in 2015-2016) to
3,696 with current production estimated at 3.18 MT valued
at 9.6 million USD. The sub-sector’s value chain, its sup-
portive value chains and associated enterprises are rapidly
expanding thus creating jobs, enhancing incomes and ensur-
ing food security in rural and urban areas.
This culture system has various advantages includ-
ing free exchange of water and removal of wastes from the
cages, high productivity, ease of harvesting, monitoring and
the fact that it uses the existing water resources such as
lakes, reservoirs, dams, ponds and Oceans.
Site selection
Selection of a suitable site for an investor should
involve adherence to strict criteria since each site may have
specific laws governing the use of public waters. Moreover,
poor cage siting may result to poor fish growth, mortalities
as well as conflict with other water users. Cages should be
located at a depth of 10m and above, and away from areas
that can obstruct other users. Moreover, it should be at a
distance of not less than 300 meters from the shore. KMFRI
has developed a suitability map on the recommended sites
for location of cages by incorporating factors like bathyme-
try and fish breeding sites. This has assisted in delineation
of the lake ecosystem for other uses along Lake Victoria,
Kenya. The five riparian counties of the Lake Victoria
(Siaya, Migori, Kisumu, Homabay and Busia) have shown
varying levels of investment as is depicted in Fig. 1.
A cage is made up of a frame, floats, anchors,
weights and a top cover as is illustrated in Fig. 2. All the
components work together to ensure that the entire
structure is intact.
Fig. 2: Typical design of a cage
Cage technology
All investors in Lake Victoria, Kenya are using
floating cage technology which varies significantly on
cage frame material. The quality of cage material, feed
management and security of farmed fish against escap-
ing to the wild are environmental critical factors for in-
vestor’s consideration.
The cage design and size plays a key role not
only in production capacity but also on the survival and
growth of the farmed fish. Rectangular, square and cir-
cular cages are the common designs that have been
adopted in the Lake. Various frame materials have been
utilized including galvanized metal, wood, PVC and
High Density Poly Ethylene (HDPE). It is recommended
that cage investors gradually transit from the traditional
fabricated galvanized metal and PVC cages to more en-
vironmentally friendly (HDPE) cages. Due to the high
capital and operational costs of HDPE cages, the small
cage investors are highly recommended to form groups
or Sacco’s to enable them have the financial capacity to
purchase and operate them for enhanced returns.

Fig. 1: Uptake of the fishery in the Lake

3
Majority of the investments are into culture of Tilapia
(Ngege).
PVC Cages Imported HDPE 20-meter diameter cage

Locally fabricated wooden cages

Locally fabricated galvanized metal cages
Fig. 3: Various cage designs adopted in Lake Victoria, Kenya.

Feeds
Feed accounts for the highest operational costs in an aquaculture venture. For optimal performance, there
is need to ensure that the feed used is of good quality (having the right nutrients in the correct proportions) and at
the right quantity. Feeds can either be commercial or locally formulated. Currently there are 18 documented local
feed manufacturers and 5 importers. The cost of feeds varies with the source, and the stage of growth (Table 1).
Imported feeds cost more in comparison to quality commercial fish feeds produced locally (average cost of Ksh.
200 (US$ 2) to Ksh. 120 per kg (US$ 1.2 per kg), a cost considered still too high against the current growth rates
with a reported FCR of between 1.2 and 1.8.
Table 1: Average cost of feed at different stages of growth .
Stage Fingerlings Post Finger- Juvenile Market Size
lings
Average Price 180 154 125 110
(Ksh per kg)
4
 With varied stocking densities and feeding re- an average of 3,180MT and is a milestone towards ad-
gimes yields of between 10-14 kg m-3 at 300-600 g dressing the fourth pillar for industrialization and food
body weight in 6-8 months can be achieved. A security for all Kenyans.
comparison of cage and pond culture have shown The cage construction, material importation
that cage culture is cheaper, recording higher and supply as well as farm management with the out-
productivity than ponds. lets have contributed to increased job opportunities
KMFRI is a certified producer of quality specifically for youth and women in line with vision
floating feed that comprises of the right quantities 2030. The Blue Economy commercialization concept
in the correct proportions. The fish mash is in is in addition geared towards transiting aquaculture
powder form ideal for fry and fingerlings, while value chain actors from their current livelihood status
the floating pellets are for grow-out fish. to middle income levels pegged at an annual per capita
Cage Culture Commercialization Concept of USD 4,000 (Table 2).
Cage culture commercialisation calls for a
shift from the traditional, low- investment status to
high investment. The current production stands at
Table 2: Capital investments and projected income
Variable Level of Commercialization
Emerging Lower Commercial Upper Commercial
Distribution Frequency
USD Kshs USD Kshs USD Kshs
Daily 2 200 5 500 10 1000
Per capita in-
Monthly 60 6,000 150 15000 330 33,000
come
Annual 730 73,000 2000 200,000 4000 400,000
Daily 12 1,200 30 3000 60 6,000
Household
income Monthly 360 36,000 900 90000 1980 198,000
Annual 4,380 438,000 12000 1,200,0000 24,000 2,400,000

If fish cage farming value chain actors adapt commercial size cages (> 60m 3) with a minimum stocking density of 80/
m3, aquaculture value chain would have a potential of transiting from subsistence to full commercialization (upper
commercial). To fully achieve this, a cage farmer is expected to source for affordable high quality seed and feed and
ensure good management practices throughout the growth period. These will in turn create job opportunities, increase
incomes and food security across the aquaculture value chain.

5
Trials for cage culture of Nile perch (Mbuta)
Trials are on-going on the potential of culturing Nile perch under captivity in Lake
Victoria in Siaya County (Plate 1). Light traps are constructed together with the cages to facili-
tate attraction of small fish into the cages for food to the cultured perch as depicted below.

Plate 1: Experimental Nile perch cage trials at Usenge in Lake Victoria.

Pen culture in the Lake

KMFRI Kisumu aquaculturists in partnership with local community are engaged in a
feasibility study of pen culture of Ngege in fresh water bodies (Plate 2). The area under the
project is located in Seme sub-county, Kisumu county where little fisheries activities are tak-
ing place. The outcome of this project will inform the applicability of pen culture, not only in
the lake but also on the viability of rolling the project either in satellite lakes or mapped river
banks.

Plate 2 : Pen culture at Kaloka in Lake Victoria.

6
Towards the advancement of the Fish Health research
By : Caleb Ayub Ogwai and Venny Mziri Mwainge
The deterioration of the Lake Victoria ecosystem and the cumulative decline in the capture fisheries
in the recent past is real. Because of this decline, there has been a steady interest and investment in the cul-
ture fisheries in the Lake Victoria Basin to meet the shortfall. This development has however been hindered
by sporadic fish mortalities whose causes are traced largely to diseases and water quality. Bacterial, viral,
fungal, and parasitic or the little known haemoparasites have been found to be the origin. Total mortalities
recorded in one incident was 5,732 fish specimens while in another incident the value of loss recorded by
the cage culturists has been as high as Ksh.57 Million. In addition to losses, it has been suggested that fish
diseases may be a suitable indicator of monitoring biological effects on environmental deterioration
(pollution). In principle, pollutants may reduce disease resistance by causing physiological stress or they
may increase the number and the activity of the infectious agents prompting a higher infection pressure.
The link between disease, impaired immune system, and the prevailing water quality is a focal point of re-
search for the Fish Health Unit in Kisumu.
Emerging disease in the Tilapia industry
 Tilapia Lake Virus
Tilapines are the second most important category of farmed fish globally, with a production estimat-
ed at 4.5 million metric tonnes which is valued at over 7.5 billion U.S dollars (FAO 2014). Moreover, their
ecological importance cannot be underscored since they play a role in algae and mosquito control and also
habitat maintenance in the culture of shrimps. Unfortunately, this crucial industry is facing a threat from a
virus, referred to as the Tilapia Lake Virus (TiLV) which is causing mass deaths of cultured stocks. TiLV
has been confirmed in some countries in Africa, Asia and Latin America. This virus exist in both fresh and
brackish waters and affects wild, farmed and commercial hybrid tilapia. Studies have linked the disease to
stressful conditions and have shown a higher mortality rate on fingerlings and stocks post-restocking.
Gross symptoms of affected fish Recommendations
 Hemorrhagic (bleeding) skin
 Skin wounds  Adherence to the recommended stocking densi-
ties.
 Screening live tilapia imports (seed or brood
fish for aquaculture).
 Reporting any mortalities between 20-90% to
biosecurity authorities.
 Eye abnormalities  Developing contingency plans to deal with out-
breaks.
 Capacity building and awareness of various
stakeholders to support implementation of sim-
ple farm level biosecurity programs.
 Monitoring movement of fish from affected
farms.
 Reduced schooling and gathering at  Thorough investigation of all reports of tilapia
pond bottom mortalities
 Discoloration
 Protruding scales
 Slow movement

7
Fish landings in Lake Victoria, Kenya
By : Nicholas Gichuru
Lake Victoria is the second largest lake in the world with an area of 68,000 km2, which en-
compasses Uganda (43%), Tanzania (51%), and Kenya (6%). The lake supports the largest inland
freshwater fishery in the world. The Kenyan portion covers an area of about 4,128km 2 which contrib-
utes over 80% of annual fish landings in Kenya. The Kenyan fishery therefore revolves around Lake
Victoria. The main commercial fishes landed are Omena/dagaa/mukene (53.32%,) Nile Perch (33.4%)
and Tilapia (4.31%). Lake Victoria fish landings increased from 150 tons in 1973 to a peak of 150,000
on average in the late 80s to early 2000, an indication that the fishery had reached it’s optimum level.
The fishery production started fluctuating drastically from 2006 to 2015. The highest peak was
reached in 2014 when 200,000 tons were landed. This was followed by a sharp decline the following
year 2015(fig. 1). The fishery is thus unstable at the moment. Measures need to be put in place to re-
duce the fishing pressure to the levels of the 90s to sustain the fishery.

Fig. 1: Annual fish landings from Lake Victoria, Kenya (1973-2015)

Kenya’s standing stock in Lake Victoria

The standing stock of major fish groups estimated for the Kenyan part of the lake in Septem-
ber 2014, November 2015 and August 2016 acoustic surveys is presented in Table 1. Nile perch bio-
mass has been declining steadily since the year 2014. The biomass declined by about 31% from
58,374 tons in 2015 to 40,173 tons in 2016. Nyanza Gulf registered the highest decline (50%). Simi-
larly, dagaa and haplochromines/others biomass declined by 40% and 72% respectively. The freshwa-
ter prawn (Caridina nilotica) on the contrary exhibited an explosion of biomass, registering over 12
folds increase. Most of the Nile perch (97%) were estimated to be less than 50 cm TL. Fish of this size
range accounted for about 83% of the biomass for the species. Only 17% of Nile perch were over 50
cm TL, thus the bulk of fish landed were immature.

8
Table 1. Standing stock for Nile perch, Omena, haplochromines/other fish species and C. nilotica.

Nile perch
Year Littoral zone Inshore Off shore Total
2014 33,207 31,152 1,402 65,761
2015 16,424 38,596 3,354 58,374
2016 9,661 28,827 1,685 40,173
Omena/Dagaa
2014 30,621 34,907 14,285 79,813
2015 43,457 51,654 11,478 106,589
2016 16,595 18,890 28,578 64,063
Haplochromines and others
2014 3,863 13,416 4,806 22,085
2015 10,432 29,186 9,092 48,710
2016 1,545 7,968 4,058 13,571
Caridina
2014 772 1,230 82 2,084
2015 1,554 2,234 410 4,198
2016 5,409 23,135 22,737 51,281

Reasons behind fish landings in Lake Victoria, Kenya

The total fish landings have been increasing over the years (1973-2015) mainly due to
explosion of Nile perch catches in the late 1980s and 1990s (Fig. 1). Nile perch dominated
landings throughout the 80s and 90s but was eventually succeeded by omena in subsequent
years. On the other hand, landings of tilapia and other indigenous species have gradually de-
clined in recent years. Tilapia landings are so low that they have to be supplemented through
aquaculture, cage culture and imports, mostly from China. The main reasons for fisheries de-
cline is due to rampant illegal fishing, use of undersize gears, poor agricultural practices, ur-
banisation, industrialization, poor waste disposal and effects of global warming. This has com-
promised the lakes’ production and water quality which is exhibited through proliferation of
algal blooms and the water hyacinth. The lake’s former glory can be reclaimed through pro-
motion of soil conservation friendly agricultural practices, re-afforestation, well planned ur-
banisation/industrialization and good fisheries management. It is recommended that for Nile
perch and tilapia fishery to recover and return to its’ former production levels, a gillnet of 7”
and above should be used for this Nile perch fishery, while a gillnet of 5” should be used for
harvesting tilapia. KMFRI has already given a policy brief to fisheries managers for considera-
tion.

9
An investors’ sensitization workshop on value addi- Renowned scientist Martin Van Der Knaap of FAO
tion for silver cyprinids (Omena) Fishery (Ghana) at the repository during his tour of the KMFRI
in January 2018

Fish Pond Preparation, clearance and maintenance at the The Director together with the Technicians at
office the Fish Ponds

A lab technician supervises a student on Regional Hydro-acoustic team on board Mv. Explor-
attachment er on research in Lake Victoria
10
 Monitoring and Evaluation training workshop
Beach seines (illegal gears) loaded in boats for a at the KMFRI Kisumu.
fishing expedition at Goye (Yala River mouth)

Water hyacinth invading BMU offices at Namabusi

beach-Nzoia River Delta Electrofishing Research done at River Nzoia by DR.
Odoli and Mr. Gichuru along side the Technicians

KMFRI Gear technologists making a new trawl net for research

11
The water hyacinth is back in Nyanza Gulf:
An early warning based on observed trends
By : Job Mwamburi, Collins Ongore, Nicholas Gichuru and John Ouko
Excessive nutrient loading has lowered the water quality of the lake and is manifested in
proliferation of algal blooms and emergence of the water hyacinth menace. Water hyacinth in
the Nyanza Gulf follows a cyclical pattern of emergence, growth, disappearance, and reappear-
ance within a year. The multi-annual spatial and temporal patterns indicate that Kisumu bay has
had previous tendency to host massive mats at its peak in the month of January. In 2017, the
water weed (hyacinth) blocked the busy Kisumu pier, the county’s water abstraction point and
interfered with eco-tourism around Kisumu Bay from the month of April to July 2017. This
caused inconveniences to lake users translating to huge economic losses to lake users (Plate 1).

Plate 1: Impacts of the water hyacinth to various Lake users

The water weed gradually disappeared from Nyanza Gulf in the months of September-
December, 2017, by February, 2018 water hyacinth had stopped being a menace in the lake.

12
This year, the weed started showing up in sub-
stantial amounts in June after the long rains. The
weed has been increasing in volume and has
been moving in an east-west and south-east di-
rections depending on wind movement (plate 1).
The weed is slowly moving towards Kisumu, a
nerve centre of the region. It is feared in a couple
of months it will become a menace in the area.
Ecological integrity of the Western
Kenya rivers.
By: Fredrick Guya
Lake Victoria is drained by myriad of
both perennial and seasonal rivers with River
Kagera having the largest discharge. The Ken-
yan basin, though small, is drained by several
major rivers contributing over 38% of the total
surface inflows to the lake. Some of the major
Western Kenya rivers draining into the lake are:
Nzoia, Yala, Kuja, Sio, Sondu-Miriu, Nyando,
Kibos and Awach. Due to its large discharge, the
Kenyan section has been traditionally believed to
be the spawning grounds for many migratory
fish species across the region.
Rivers are of great economic and ecolog-
ical importance since they provide water for both
domestic and industrial use, power generation,
irrigation and biotic life support. Since the ad-
vent of industrial revolution in 1750’s, the eco-
logical integrity of many aquatic ecosystems
have degenerated considering that aquatic basins
are the major sinks of both industrial and munic-
ipal wastes, and other land based pollutants from
surface run-offs. Following increased nutrient
enrichment of the Kenyan waters of Lake Victo-
ria, increased external loadings from river dis-
charge systems have been implicated as the
source of exacerbated concentrations.
Although there is paucity of historical
information on fisheries dynamics of Western
Kenya rivers, there has been an observed dra-
matic decline in the fisheries of the river sys-
13
tems. The shifts in biotic composition and
abundances are believed to be impacted by
changes in the rivers water quality. High in the
list of highly impacted rivers are Nyando and
Nzoia.
Researches conducted along River
Nyando, for example, indicates that the river is
consistently the most turbid and with the high-
est phosphorus load. Within River Nyando
and Nzoia basins are Agro based industries
discharging there effluents directly into the
rivers. The locals have intimated that during
regular maintenance periods of the agro indus-
tries, they experience massive fish kills along
the two rivers. KMFRI through International
Foundation for Science (IFS) grant, undertook
a study along River Nyando to establish the
sources of phosphorus loading into the river.
The aim of the study was to establish, mitigate
and restore the water quality of the river. The
waters exhibited hypertrophic conditions dur-
ing the study period.
A similar but more integrated study
through National Research Fund’s (NRF)
funding to KMFRI seeks to assess the status of
pollution in four biodiversity hotspots (Kuja,
Nzoia, Yala and Sondu-Miriu river mouths) in
Lake Victoria. This study aims at identifying
the river that pollutes the lake the most and
their impact on biodiversity. Rivers being the
primary sources of pollution to any given lake,
their studies are subservient to efforts towards
lake-wide water quality restorations. Aquatic
system restorations would therefore require
determination of maximum allowable load for
waste water discharges with strict enforcement
of existing environmental laws.

Catch assessment in Lake Victoria,
Kenya.
By: Monica A. Owili and Joseph Nyaundi
Catch Assessment Surveys are some of
the avenues used to collect information for
monitoring fish population dynamics as well as
the magnitude, distribution and trends of fishing
effort and fish catches. They are necessary for
making sound and informed decisions for policy
and management of Lake Victoria fisheries.
This information provides the Catch Per Unit of
Effort (CPuE). The CPuE is used together with
Frame Survey (FS) data to estimate total fish
catches.
Data collection at various landing sites
is carried out by CAS enumerators who are re-
cruited from the fishing communities and work
under the supervision of sub-county Fisheries
Officers. In addition, there is involvement of the
respective Beach Management Units (BMUs) in
this activity.
Fisheries catch assessment surveys in
Lake Victoria provide information on: The
quantities of fish landed monthly, quarterly and
annually in the riparian local administrative
units and counties, The monetary value of the
fish landed and The contribution of different
fish species to the total catches.
What are frame surveys?
This is a direct enumeration of all fish landing
sites and provide the following information:
 Composition, magnitude and distribution of
fishing effort, fishers and beach facilities.
 Structure of the fishery for fisheries man-
agement.
 Information required for the design of other
statistical survey systems like CAS.
 Raising factors for estimation of total catch-
es from CAS data
Catch Assessment Surveys (CAS) results as at
May 2018
Catch rates
The observed catch rates of the main
commercial fish species are apparently lower
than they were a decade ago.
14
County estimates of total fish catches and beach
value (landing site) of the main commercial
species
The Nile Perch (Mbuta):
The estimated monthly Nile perch catches
in Homa Bay county was 1,479.3 t, with a beach
value of up to 0.534 billion shillings in May 2018
(Table 1). In Siaya and Migori counties, the
monthly Nile perch catches was 704.8 t and
283.4 t respectively with a beach value of up to
approximately 0.24 billion shillings.
Tilapia (Ngege) :
Siaya county had the highest estimated
monthly tilapia total catches at 93.0 t with a beach
value of 26. 8 million shillings per month. Homa
Bay County followed with a monthly catch of
61 t of tilapia worth 17.41 million shillings. The
least monthly tilapia catches of 40 t were in
Busia, Kisumu and Migori Counties.
Homa Bay County had the largest produc-
tion of Omena (Plate 1) at 7,915.0 mt per month
and a beach value of 201,573 million shillings.
This was followed by Siaya County with 4,033
mt and a beach value of 118.6 million shillings.
The other counties with substantial production of
Dagaa were Migori and Busia having produced
2,175 mt and 1,694 mt valued at 53.94 and 44.63
million shillings respectively.
Plate 1: Omena drying on the beaches of
Homabay county.
 Table 1: Estimated total catches (mt) and beach value (KES ('000) in Kenya presented by
county for May 2018
Fish species County Busia Homa Bay Kisumu Migori Siaya TOTAL
Wt (mt 260 1,479 267 283 705 2,994
Nile perch
Value ('000) 61,001 353,525 62,534 67,849 170,394 715,303
Wt (mt 19 61 5 37 93 215
Tilapia
Value ('000) 5,395 17,410 1,553 10,672 26,793 61,824
Wt (mt 1,694 7,915 163 2,175 4,033 15,980
Dagaa
Value ('000) 44,627 201,573 8,984 53,935 118,632 427,750
Haplo- Wt (mt 16 37 1 0 0 54
chromines Value ('000) 1,023 2,241 84 42 0 3,390
P. aethiopi- Wt (mt 1 2 8 0 3 15
cus Value ('000) 239 466 1,554 62 537 2,858
Clarias Wt (mt 1 3 8 0 1 12
gariepenus Value ('000) 70 498 1,071 11 87 1,737
Synodontis Wt (mt 11 21 5 2 2 41
spp Value ('000) 804 1,203 303 200 95 2,605
Wt (mt 2,002 9,518 457 2,497 4,837 19,311
Total
Value ('000) 113,159 576,916 76,083 132,771 316,538 1,215,467

Records from this survey indicated low values of other species such as the haplochromines (fulu) ,Synodontis spp.
(Okoko) , P.aethiopicus (Kamongo) and C.gariepinus (Mumi) in the catches. Their contribution was insignificant.

Conclusion and Recommendations

 The 3 commercial fish species have declined over the last 5 years.
 Actions that increase productivity of the Nile perch are required because they can yield large increases in di-
rect incomes of the fishers.
 To increase productivity of Nile perch, destructive illegal fishing gears and methods should be
eliminated.
 The current threats to the tilapia fishery include the rampant use of monofilament gillnets, active
operation of gillnets, the continued use of cast nets which target the brood stock and the ease with which one
can enter the fishery.
 Elimination of illegal fishing gears (Plate 2) and methods and control of entry could improve productivity of
the tilapia fishery.

Plate 2: Some illegal fishing gears encountered in the Lake

15
The Omena fishery
By: Nicholas Gichuru and Cyprian Odoli
Omena is the most important small fish species in
the Lake contributing immensely to the protein of the poor
population. It is caught using the small meshed- seine nets
and attraction lamps. The highest catch is recorded in dark
nights when the effect of the artificial attraction is maxim-
ized (Plate 1). It currently accounts for more than 50% of
the total landings in the Lake. Omena is an excellent source
of many essential nutrients, contributing to food security
and nutrition. Surplus produce is taken up by the animal
feed industries in Nairobi, Thika and Nakuru town further
contributing to improved livelihoods and eventually pov-
erty alleviation. Huge post- harvest losses have been rec-
orded by the fisher folk with estimations showing a per
capita gross post-harvest fish loss of Ksh 1,600 in high
fishing season and Ksh 490 in low season.
Plate 1: Traders taking omena from the boat Plate 2: Dagaa sun dried on raised racks to
The loss- reduce contamination
es are attributed to traditionally fish drying
in open sun, which during rainy season results to extensive
postharvest losses.
16
To lessen fish post-harvest losses, at-
tempts have been made through government
and donor agencies by installing various post-
harvest loss reduction interventions along the
lake but most of the installed interventions are
either incomplete or not operational except in a
few observed cases.
The interventions includes Banda’s, cold
rooms, pontoon/jetties, potable water, Electrici-
ty supply, fish stores, drying racks, (Plate 2) all
weather roads and toilet facilities, among oth-
ers. Technological developments that can re-
duce fish post-harvest losses along the value
chain should be adopted so as to preserve the
excess fish supply during high fishing seasons
in order to compliment the low supply during
low fishing seasons. Clean water is crucial for
post-harvest management along the value chain.
 KMFRI Freshwaters Resource Centre and Fish Repository

By : Hilda Nyaboke
The KMFRI Fresh Waters Resource Centre To support this, all research protocols used in
and Fish repository is a one stop platform high- the collection of the said specimen are made
lighting KMFRI’s activities and accomplishments available in the new Freshwaters database
in fisheries and aquatic research. It offers a valua- (www.kenyasdata.com) established at KMFRI
ble teaching resource for academic institutions and Kisumu Centre.
other stakeholders; providing an important channel
for information dissemination. Resource Centre components
 Aquatic Biodiversity Educational Museum
 Fish ecology resource unit
 Herbarium unit
 Fishing gear technology demonstration
 Digital/print display section
The resource centre enjoys good relations
with the community and a section is dedicated to
community partnerships. KICK Youth Centre in
Kisumu (water hyacinth products) and Alisam
Product development and design (Plate 2) (Fish
leather products) are a few of such beneficiaries
with their products displayed at the resource cen-
Plate 1: Mitua Girls Secondary on a guided tre. This section also coordinates information dis-
tour at the Resource Centre and Fish Reposito- semination to the public and participation in pub-
ry in December 2017. lic forums
Since its inception in August 2017, this
facility has to date served over five local university
groups and seven secondary/primary schools
(Plate 1) among other institutions (national & in-
ternational)/interest groups amounting to over
1000 students and 150 adults.
The Biorepository, one of the key products
of the facility; is the first of its kind in aquatic re-
search in Kenya providing students and scientists a
platform for practical research in fisheries and
aquatic sciences. Presently, many graduate stu-
dents are handicapped because of the high costs of
field research as well as inability to access bio-
resources in established institutions like the Royal
Museum of Central Africa (RMCA) in Belgium.
This wing supports KMFRI’s obligation as a cen-
ter of excellence in aquatic research in the country
by making this resources available to students and Plate 2: An array of products from fish leather de-
the scientific community. veloped by Alisam product development and de-
sign.

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Upcoming Events:
 5th Africa engineering week and 3rd African
engineering conference.
Location: Pride inn, Mombasa.
Period: 17th—21st September, 2018.
 Lake Victoria regional Hydro-acoustics Survey
Location: Lake Victoria
Period: 3rd September to 5th October, 2018.
 The Lake region trade investment and Blue
economy conference.
Location: Bomet county, Kenya.
Period: 23rd—26th October, 2018.
 GLOW IX: An international Symposium.
Emerging frontiers for African great Lakes
Promoting blue economy, food security and
conservation.
Location: Kisumu, Kenya.
Period: 15th—18th April, 2019.
Kisumu business wing
The KMFRI Kisumu business wing,
established in 2016 continues to serve the pub-
lic by making available KMFRI products (Plate
1) and services as outlined in the Service deliv-
ery chatter. The KMFRI shop serves clients
from the region including fish farmers from
Kisumu, Siaya, Vihiga, Kakamega and Busia
counties with the supply of quality fish feeds
and fish seeds from KMFRI aquaculture sta-
tions, among other products. Other clients in-
clude county governments, schools and local
stakeholders.
This wing is also involved in the mar-
keting and selling of published books and man-
uals in marine and fisheries management fur-
nishing the stakeholders with scientific
knowledge and technical guidance for informed
decision making towards investments.

Aquaria
Kenya Marine and Fisheries Research Insti-
tute, Kisumu center is home to a wide range of or-
namental fishes, housed in the institutes’ aquaria
(Plate 2) . Ornamental fish include gold fish, sword
tail and Koi carps. Moreover, exotic species from
the Lake are found here, facilitating knowledge
sharing with communities and stakeholders visiting
the station. The institute through the aquaria
provides various services including construction of
glass aquaria of various sizes and dimensions,
training services on care and maintenance of
aquarium production, artificial propagation of cat-
fish for bait and training of fish farmers on fish
feed formulation using cheap, locally available and Plate 1: Pr oducts at the KMFRI Kisumu center
complete ingredients. business wing

Plate 2 : KMFRI Kisumu Aquar ia

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 Fish Bio– waste utilization for economic development & improved hygiene along the val-
ue chain
By : Dennis Otieno
Natural product and post-harvest technology endeavors to research on utilization and conversion of waste
into creation of new products and post-harvest loss managements. The natural products range from water itself,
fish, macrophytes, bacteria, fungi, algae, phytoplankton and zooplanktons. Kisumu station is actively doing re-
search on fish oil extraction and its utilization, inhibition of fish spoilage bacteria, utilization of fish scales, post-
harvest management among others. Fish oil is a polyunsaturated fat reach in omega –3 fatty acids and classified as
“good fat." unlike other types of fat, they don’t elevate blood pressure or clog your blood vessels. There is high po-
tential in natural product to help in the sustainable utilization of aquatic resources as it can provide alternative
source of income hence enticing others fishers to invest in the sector rather than casting their nets into the waters
full time.

Did you know?

Oil supplements companies such as cod liver oil, seven seas are all overseas companies and Kenya has no
fish oil producing company despite the fact that it has ocean, lakes and rivers.

Fish offal contributes to the fish bio- Pictures showing polyunsaturated oils extracted from fish visceral
mass and it is usually underutilized or organs and soap made from fish oil. The oil remain liquid at room
considered waste due to inadequate temperature and form an amorphous solid on freezing.
knowledge on waste to resource. How-
ever, usable fish oil can be extracted
from them. Conclusion and recommendation
Fish oil can be successfully extracted from the
viscera at a profit hence the need of capital
investment in the sector
Utilization of bio-waste to resources helps in
environmental sanitization and saves the local
Daily collection of fish waste from one of the markets county government collection of waste from
in Kisumu by the county government. This waste in- fish in the market places.
clude scales, fish offal and other chaff mixed together Aquatic natural resources has a potential of
for disposal. Research on natural products could change creating job opportunity and become a multi-
this situation and turn the waste to resource. billion sector that can support the achieve-
ment of the blue economy

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 Water hyacinth monitoring in Lake Victoria, Kenya.

Chief Editor Editor

Dr. Christopher Mulanda Aura (PhD)
Kenya Marine and Fisheries Research
Institute (KMFRI),
P.O. Box 1881-40100, Kisumu, Kenya.
Email: auramulanda@yahoo.com
Dr. Chrispine Nyamweya (PhD)
Kenya Marine and Fisheries Research
Institute (KMFRI),
P.O. Box 1881-40100, Kisumu, Kenya.
Email: sanychris@yahoo.com

Editorial Team
Chair. Venny Mziri
Secretary. Raphael Okeyo
Members
Nicholas Gichuru
Pamela Olela
Meggan Kinara.
Patroline Manyolo

Photo Courtesy: Public relations office, Kisumu Center.

Contact
Kenya Marine and Fisheries Research Institute
Box 1881 Kisumu– 40100
Tel. 0770-567443
Email. kmfrikisumucentre@yahoo.com

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