Strategies for Artisanal Fishing - Lake Victoria, Kenya

Abstract

Lake Victoria, the world's second largest freshwater lake, is shared by three East African countries: Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda. The lake is surrounded by lakeshore savannah, which is subject to low and unreliable rainfall. Because there is little arable land, agriculture is at the subsistence level. Fishing and the processing and marketing of fish are important economic activities for the people living around the lake. Fish is also a primary source of food in the area.

The fisheries in Kenya's portion of the lake have changed in the last 10-15 years, mostly due to new export markets for frozen Nile perch filets. The resulting increase in commercial fishing has transformed the fisheries. Women, who traditionally represent 75% of those engaged in artisanal (small-scale, non-commercial) processing and trading of fish, are increasingly being marginalized. Production, processing, and marketing have become more and more technology-dependent, making it difficult for women to stay in the industry. The export of local fish has also reduced the supply of locally available, relatively inexpensive protein. The fish species of interest to both commercial and artisanal fisheries are Nile perch (Lates niloticus) and Omena (Engraulicypris).

IDRC-supported research at the University of Nairobi has examined artisanal fishing in the region, trying to find ways to improve the earnings of women fish processors and traders through better processing methods. The research also studied the socioeconomic status of fishers and fish traders, why they succeed or fail, and their links to other parts of the economy and marketing channels. Small-scale processors and traders were deemed to need new skills and tools to compete effectively with larger, export-oriented fisheries.

Strategies were developed to increase the participation of women's groups in Nile perch processing and marketing, and to develop improved techniques for fish handling, smoking, and marketing