Posted on March, 10, 2022 at 10:22 am
Nakuru County government plans to establish a public-owned fingerlings breeding plant to boost the stockpile in Lake Naivasha and increase production.
Governor Lee Kinyanjui regretted that the county was spending millions of shillings to procure fingerlings from other regions, adding that the move would increase the stockpile at the lake.
He said the county had finalized plans to support local investors to put up the breeding plant, a venture into the fish industry which he said would tap the potential of local farmers and also offer job opportunities to the local
Kinyanjui urged the fishing farmers to form groups that the county intends to empower both financially and through capacity-building to enable them to establish and run the businesses by specializing in high-value fish breeds.
He noted that last year alone the county spent sh. 21 million on purchasing fingerlings from other counties, an amount he said should be invested in the area.
Speaking during stakeholders' meeting in Naivasha, the governor added that the county also intends to license more fishermen as a way of controlling constant conflicts pitting licensed fishermen and foot fishermen.
He said with additional 80 new licenses, the county plans to ensure sustainable fishing while ensuring the protection of the lake marine ecosystem.
Kinyanjui at the same time directed the county relevant authorities to intensify patrols at the nearby flower farms to help protect the lake from harmful chemicals discharges that can have a detrimental effect on the water resource.
The governor called for diversification in the sector by venturing in sport fishing and tour guiding to help reduce the pressure in the lake adding that the county plans to establish a yearly sports fishing event to boost its revenue.
On the marketing front, the governor said the county is already constructing a Sh 249 M market in Karai area off Naivasha - Nairobi highway which is set to revolutionalize the fish trading business and benefit the locals through proper hygiene to boost their sales.
In the recent past, Lake Naivasha has been bedeviled by incessant attacks and conflicts overfishing activities around the lake which have been triggered by increased insecurity at the lake, accusations of an imbalance in the issuance of licenses, alleged corruption by stakeholders, and pollution from flowers farms.
According to Kinyanjui, the government was prompted to deploy officers from Coast Guards Service to bring sanity and streamline the sector noting that cases of illegal fishing have dropped significantly in the last six months.
The governor urged the fishing fraternity to partner and work together closely with deployed officers to ensure continued sustainable exploitation of the lake resources
Source: Capital FM