This archive report was first published on 23 November 2019.
Published on November 23, 2019, a row has erupted between fishermen from Homa Bay and Siaya counties over the use of a solar-powered lamp for fishing at night.
While environmental experts say the lamp, popularly known as Osram, is clean and environmentally friendly, a section of fishermen claim it is a threat to Nile perch fish.
Liunda Beach Management Unit (BMU) Secretary Rashid Odhiambo said, “The lamps have been banned in neighbouring Uganda because of their massive effect on Nile perch production.”
According to fishermen interviewed by the Saturday Standard, most of those using the lamps are from Homa Bay.
Enock Mwanje, a Uganda Revenue Authority supervisor from Hama Island, termed the lamp an illegal fishing equipment that depletes fish stock.
However, Homa Bay BMU Chairman Edward Oremo said the lamp was environmentally friendly.
Assistant Director of Freshwater Systems Research at the Kenya Marine and Fisheries Research Institute (KMFRI), Kisumu, Christopher Aura, said the lamp favours increased harvest of other fish species while forcing the fish to migrate to look for food elsewhere.
The KMFRI has now come up with a raft of measures to curb illegal fishing in Lake Victoria, including imposing a ban on catching juvenile fish and protecting fish breeding nurseries.
Kenya Regional Assistant Director of Fisheries Christine Okoth expressed concern that numerous fisheries management bodies do not heed scientific advice on fish quotas and set catch limits above recommended maximum amounts.
