Data used in this study was collected daily between January 2011 and April 2016 from four fish landing beaches along the shores of Lake Naivasha; Central, Karagita, Kamere and Tarambete beaches. The results revealed that the total landings of Nile tilapia Oreochromis niloticus has been gradually increasing from a 0% in 2011 to 42.7% (206.923 tons) of the total landings between January and April 2016 (422.613 tons) with projections of it surpassing carp by December 2016. These findings corroborate regular field observations which indicate that fishermen are abandoning carp fisheries, opting for Nile tilapia due to its high demand and increased market returns. Between January and April 2016, Nile tilapia had an average price per kg of KShs 147.52 compared to carp's KShs 122.93. The study therefore concludes that the re-introduction of O. niloticus in 2011 has achieved its main objectives of food security and improving livelihoods since the fish has completely established itself and is now the key driver of Lake Naivasha fishery.
Cage aquaculture has been on a steady rise in Lake Victoria, Kenya, since 2016, resulting in the current culturing of over 3,600 cages of Tilapia (O. niloticus) (Orina et al., 2018). Unfortunately, there has been limited, if any, focus on fish health aspects. Rise in intensification and commercialization predisposes fish stocks to disease due to rise in stress levels and consequent reduction in the fish immunity. Nutrient rich surroundings create a conducive environment for rapid proliferation of bacterial and saprophytic fungal growth leading to net clogging and consequently a low biological oxygen demand. Such conditions predispose the stocks to infections. This study was conducted to provide a baseline analysis of the health conditions/status of the cultured fish in this region. It encompassed studies from 2016 to 2018 on tilapia of the genus O. niloticus using both experimental (using standard procedures and protocols) and socio-economic studies (using structured questionnaires, see annexure 1). Results found the following occurrences; bacterial infections (10%), fungal infestations (12.5%), myxosporean parasites in the gills (5%), parasitic copepods (10%) and fin rot (2.5%) in the stocks. There were no significant differences between abiotic parameters in the cage locations and the wild (p > 0.05). Additionally, 90% of the respondents had no fish disease training or clue on the treatment action necessary whenever fish diseases struck. Findings from this study put to the fore the significance of fish diseases in a cage culture system in light of commercialization of the industry and the importance of biosecurity and maintenance of optimal environmental conditions within the scope of Blue Economy growth in this region. This study did not detect any disease or parasite of zoonotic importance.
Fishery resources are an essential component of the socioeconomic development of many countries, especially developing countries, because they provide a source of nutrition and food security, employment and livelihood opportunities for the local communities (Welcomme et al., 2010; Youn et al., 2014). Inland waters are endowed with high (>12,700) fish species diversity (Funge-Smith, 2018), supporting local livelihoods and food security in many nations. Globally, inland water fish captures have exhibited a steady yearly increase, with over 12 million tonnes reported in 2018 (FAO, 2020). The FAO indicated that nations endowed with important water bodies and river basins have inland captures more concentrated than marine captures. Of the total global inland capture fishery production, Asia
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