By Christopher Omondi.
Cage fish Farmers in Dunga, Kisumu County, are counting losses rising to SHS 10 million in the sudden death of fish in cages found at Dunga. According to the farmers, more than 10 cages have so far been affected, with the fear that more fish might die in the coming days.
Barely two years after caged fish farmers in Lake Victoria lost close to SHS 1 billion from sporadic fish kills, it seems as if disaster has struck, wiping out fish worth SHS 10 Million in the course of two days due to suspected suffocation. Farmers are now calling on both levels of government to strengthen aquaculture policies to enable them to secure insurance packages that can help them in such losses.
“The fish that we lost here were almost at the harvesting stage, and so this is a huge loss. We appeal to investors to help us get back to business. We noticed from a few days back that the fish were suffocating and straining to breathe in the water, meaning there was a limited supply of oxygen in the water due to climate change. A lot of people depend on these fish cages for businesses from all over Kisumu. We came up with this fish farming idea to help with the overfishing challenge in Lake Victoria, and now we have to start all over again because of this big loss. We also appeal to both levels to work on efficient aquaculture policies to help us with insurance in times of such losses ”, said Joel Otieno, who is a cage fish farmer at Dunga.
According to the Kenya Marine and Fisheries Institute report, the sporadic fish kills were attributed to artificial up-welling, which involves bringing nutrient-rich deep water to the surface to stimulate the growth of phytoplankton, which supports the marine food web, and this caused suffocation.
The report then advised the relocation to deeper water to minimize the chances of suffocation. The public was raising concerns about whether the dead fish would make it to the market, with Kisumu County Public Health assuring the locals that all fish in the markets are fit for consumption.
Speaking in a local media briefing, the County Executive Committee Member for Agriculture in Kisumu County, Mr. Kenneth Onyango, said, “We are going to do everything within our powers to ensure that the fish that has been killed is disposed of responsibly so that it does not go into the market. I know at the moment, there is fear that somehow the dead fish is getting its way into the market”.
Kisumu County has provided impressive support to the cage fish farming industry, including establishing the newly inaugurated Kabonyo Fisheries Aquaculture Service and Training Centre of Excellence in Kabonyo, Kisumu County, which is set to produce up to 10 million fingerlings yearly in a bid to boost fish farming in the Lake Victoria region.
