By Fadhili Fredrick
A Kwale fisher group is looking to earn Sh720,000 this year by growing fish on six ponds to meet the rising demand for fish at the Coast caused by the Indian Ocean’s falling fish production.
Researchers have found that 70 per cent of Indian Ocean fishers in Kwale County reported a decline in their fish catch over the past ten years. The scientists warned that overfishing, illegal fishing and climate change are continually pushing down the productivity of fishing which is the main source of livelihood for 31 per cent of people. Despite this, Kwale, as with all of Kenya which has an annual deficit of 365,000 tonnes of fish is experiencing a rising demand for fish.
The Tsunza Fish Pond Farmers group made up of 47 members, 36 of whom are women, in Kwale County is slowly changing the narrative on offshore fishing which is gaining momentum at the Coast and replacing dwindling natural fish stocks.
In an interview with FarmbizAfrica at their site, the group’s chairman Mr Kamwana Karisa said they first started with mangrove conservation to mitigate the effects of climate before realising a potential in fish farming.
Mr Karisa said since fishing is the main economic activity in the village due to its location along the Kenyan coastal line in the Indian Ocean, they constructed the first fish pond in 2019.
He said through the proceeds of selling mangrove seedlings and contributions from the members they bought a first batch of 1,700 tilapia fingerlings at Sh15 per fingerling from Kenya Marine and Fisheries Research Institute (KMFRI).
Mr Karisa noted that the first harvest did not bring much value as they divided it amongst themselves due to a lack of a ready market and high cost of supplementary feeds.
“We had a challenge in feeding the stocked fingerlings that delayed its maturity to almost a year,” he said.
Fingerlings usually mature after six months with the right amount of feeds.
Mr Ngovi Swalehe, a member said the second harvest earned them Sh60,000 after selling 200kgs of fish to Base Titanium mining company.
This motivated the group to construct five more fish ponds. They stocked them with tilapia and milkfish fingerlings of different maturity intervals.
“We have now a total of six ponds as we target four more to make it 10 shortly,” he said.
With the six ponds, the group is expecting to earn at least Sh720,000 this year even as they eye a new market, that will come as construction of a multi-billion Dongo Kundu bypass nears completion.
Ms Mashaka George said fish farming for local and commercial consumption is a viable business, besides mitigating overfishing in the Indian Ocean.
“Fish pond farming is a regulated venture and not destructive as we only harvest mature fish in the ponds,” she said.
Ms. George said they plan to plough back profits into the group’s table banking initiative to expand their capital base and uplift their living standards.
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