Mombasa: Kenya is losing an estimated Sh45 billion every year to illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing, government officials revealed during a stakeholders’ forum on marine fisheries conservation held at Shanzu, Mombasa. The forum brought together government agencies, research institutions, Beach Management Units (BMUs), and non-state actors to chart a way forward on data-driven, policy-anchored management of the country’s marine resources.
According to Kenya News Agency, Kenya Fisheries Service (KFS) Director-General Daisy Muriuki emphasized the agency’s core mandate to conserve, manage, and develop the country’s fisheries and aquaculture resources, ensuring that no player in the sector was operating at cross purposes. Muriuki noted there was no duplication of mandates among different players, with non-state actors complementing government efforts.
Muriuki pointed out the need for deeper collaboration in data management and research, urging that research findings be shared directly with fishing communities to help them appreciate the role reliable data plays in managing the resources they depend on. She also advocated for all fisheries data to be consolidated under the Kenya Fisheries Service, the body legally mandated to manage such information.
The government is enhancing monitoring, control, and surveillance through tools like the Vessel Monitoring System (VMS) to track fishing activity within Kenyan waters, Muriuki said. Authorities are also exploring camera-based surveillance technology to reduce the high cost of patrolling Kenya’s Exclusive Economic Zone.
KFS Director Jared Agano highlighted fisheries management plans as crucial policy tools for guiding sustainable exploitation of marine resources. Working with the State Department for Blue Economy and Fisheries, the agency has developed management plans for priority fisheries, including marine aquarium and lobster fisheries. Agano emphasized the importance of implementing these plans to deliver tangible benefits to fishing communities while protecting resources from depletion.
Agano explained that the KFS collaborates closely with BMUs to collect fish-landing data, which is compiled annually and published in fisheries statistical bulletins for planning purposes. However, unreported catches linked to IUU fishing continue to complicate efforts to obtain complete data. Existing regulations and co-management guidelines are being used to build community capacity in data collection.
Blue Ventures East Africa Regional Director Nelly Otieno called for stronger collaboration between government agencies, conservation organizations, NGOs, and fishing communities, stressing that conservation efforts must increasingly focus on empowering communities affected by marine resource degradation.
Kipini Beach Management Unit chairman and Tana River County BMU Network chairman Omar Ahmed Abdalla highlighted the challenges faced by fishing communities, including climate change effects and the degradation of fishing grounds. Abdalla called for sustained partnerships between communities, government agencies, county governments, and development organizations to secure the future of the coastal fisheries sector.
