This archive report was first published on 19 October 2019.
Driving along the Kisumu-Homa Bay road, the aroma of fried fish wafts through the air, leaving one yearning for a bite. However, to reach the fish hub, one must turn left at Nyakwere and drive for about two kilometres along a murrum road to the Kenya Marine and Fisheries Research Institute (KMFRI) Sangora station.
Here, several fish ponds are found, but what strikes the eye is the unkempt appearance of some of the ponds, with green weed covering the surface. But these 'weeds' are not a nuisance; they are, in fact, macrophytes, aquatic plants that have been found to be rich in omega-3 fats.
Omega-3 fats are a vital nutrient, especially for the human brain. They help infants fighting respiratory complications and improve eyesight. In 2017, KMFRI, in partnership with Machakos University and Aquaculture Association of Kenya, started research on aquatic plants that would increase omega-3 fatty acids in farmed fish.
The initiative was funded by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC), a UK-based organisation. The research was triggered after discovery that farmed fish had low amounts of the very vital omega-3 fatty acids, compared to those from natural water sources.
According to Dr Patricia Muendo, who leads the Sustainable New Ingredients to Promote Health (SNIPH) project under which the research was carried out, 'The competition for ingredients such as silver cyprinid (omena) comes from human beings and livestock such as poultry and dairy sectors.'
Experts from the three institutions collected various macrophytes from marine and fresh water bodies within the country and analysed the samples for their potential to increase omega-3 fatty acids in farmed fish. The plants which were found to have great potential include duckweed (lemna minor) and water spinach (Ipomoea aquatic), which are fresh water macrophytes, and sea lettuce (ulva lavtuca), a marine algae.
