A New Guide to Fish Farming in Kenya

Abstract

Kenya is endowed with numerous aquatic resources with aquacultural potential. It has highly varied climatic and geographic regions, covering a part of the Indian Ocean coastline, a portion of the largest freshwater lake in Africa (Lake Victoria), and several large rivers, swamps, and other wetlands, all of which support an abundance of native aquatic species. These aquatic environments range from marine and brackish waters to cold and warm fresh waters, and many can sustainably contribute to the operation of ponds for fish production. Warmwater fish farming in ponds began in Kenya in the 1920s, initially using tilapia species and later including the common carp and the African catfish. In the 1960s rural fish farming was popularized by the Kenya Government through the “Eat More Fish” campaign; as a result of this effort, tilapia farming expanded rapidly, with the construction of many small ponds, especially in Kenya’s Central and Western Provinces. However, the number of productive ponds declined in the 1970s, mainly because of inadequate extension services, a lack of quality fingerlings, and insufficient training for extension workers. Until the mid 1990s, fish farming in Kenya followed a pattern similar to that observed in many African countries, characterized by small ponds, subsistence-level management, and very low levels of production.