Okong’o Oduya
Busia County, Kenya: Fishermen along the shores of Lake Victoria in Busia County are challenging their County leadership on fish cage farming technology. They believe this innovation will not help them boost their economic status in the fishing industry which has been facing many challenges due to climate problems.
Patrick Okumu Okello a fisherman at Marenga Beach in Budalangi, Busia County says the fish cage farming technology business is meant for rich people and not the local fishermen.
According to him, the local fishermen are financially incapable to venture into the business, adding that one fish cage cost at least USD1500.
“Fish cage farming technology in Busia county is for rich people and not for the poor people like most of us. There is no way a common fisherman will raise that kind of money at once to start the business. Unlike normal fishing where we only need USD500 to start and sell the little you will get from the and earn a living,” he said.
Members of Marenga Beach Management Unit in Budalangi claim that even if they opt to venture into fishing caging technology, it takes 8 months for fish to mature and during that time they need to have something else to keep them afloat.
Okello, a member says, fish caging is a business that favors those with an alternative source of income disadvantaging those who entirely depend on traditional fishing for a living.
“Most of us entirely depend on fishing for a living. The fish cage technology cannot work for us. Let us assume that we all abandon our traditional fishing, the fish in cages takes at least 8 months to mature, how will we survive the entire period as we will be waiting for fish to rich the harvesting age?” he paused.
According to him, when they were first told about the fish caging technology, they thought they will be factored in by the county government of Busia, but months later they were in shock to see cages being erected in the lake in Busia County, which they allege it belongs to the rich persons in the county.
Robert Anema is the chairman at the Beach says, starting and sustaining fishing in a traditional way was so easy compared to the new technology.
According to him, the local fishermen require a simple fishing net and a small boat only.
He confirms that it will long before the local fishermen in Lake Victoria go fish caging way due to a lot of requirements that are needed.
“To make a successful fish cage, fishermen need to prepare well financially. This is a business that takes a long time to rip the benefits, which means you need to have other sources of income, or else you will suffer,” he said.
They further allege harassment from the security personnel manning the cages, when they found near the cages adding that is denying them freedom moving freely in the lake when fishing claiming that they are being mistaken for stealing fish from cages.
“The majority of fishermen who used to fish freely in the lake can no longer fish where cages were placed.
Areas around the cages have a lot of fish. Those that come to eat from the remaining of the feed meant for those in cages, but we are not allowed to move anywhere near the cages. If we are restricted from fishing freely in the lake that is a disadvantage to us,” said Sikuta Ngesa a fisherman at Mulukoba beach.
Sikuta claims that some of these fish cages were erected along the breeding zone, hampering the effective breeding of fish in the lake.
Fish Market
Fish supply in the market as a result of traditional fishing from Lake Victoria has been reducing for years.
According to Francis Aketch, chairman of Fish Traders Association in Busia Market says, initially they used to get more than five tons of fish from the local fishermen daily but that is no longer the case.
He reveals how currently they only get one ton or less of fish from the traditional fishermen in Lake Victoria.
“A few years ago the market received more than five tons of fish daily, but with the introduction of fish cages technology in Lake Victoria, we have seen the reduction of fish supply as result of traditional fishing to less than one ton daily,” he said.
He associates the reduction to a number of reasons including restrictions imposed by the Ugandan government on fishermen in Lake Victoria to give way the fish caging technology.
Aketch is calling upon the government to empower the local fishermen in Lake Victoria to allow them to venture into fish caging technology, adding that traditional fishermen and women cannot afford cages.
However, the county government of Busia disputed the allegation that they targeted rich people when the county authorized the fish cages business.
According to Timothy Odende, the director department of fisheries in the County, they gave the priority to local fishermen in groups around Lake Victoria in Busia County and they were empowered financially to start the business.
He says those claiming that the cage business is meant for the rich are not in any groups and as the government they cannot support an individual unless they are in groups.
This comes after the National Beach Management Unit Chairman Tom Guda questioned the manner in which some fish cages were being placed in the lake against marine laws.
Guda promised to petition governors of counties abutting the lake to have the illegal fish cages removed.
In an interview, Mr. Guda said the cages were an environmental hazard to marine life calling for immediate removal of fish cages placed without following due process.
“The cages are interfering with the lake ecosystem because they have been placed without any environmental assessment. Everybody now wants to place a cage in Lake Victoria regardless of the required procedure. The illegal cages should be removed to avoid conflict,” he noted.
