Low catch turns fishermen to search greener pastures

Fishermen at Usoma beach in Kisumu, Kenya are venturing into alternative means of livelihoods following the dwindling fish stocks at the Lake.

The fishermen complain of lower fish catch caused by the hyacinth menace.

A former Ugandan fisherman NasaSaro based in Usoma beach has now turned to charcoal selling to make ends meet because of the dwindling fish stock.

Usoma, a beach once full of activities when fishing was a lucrative, is now bare and departed as most fishermen have moved away for greener pastures.

Navigating through the thick hyacinth carpet is a big problem to the fishermen and boat operators who get stuck continuously as their boats intertwine through the hyacinth.

As a result, fishermen complain it is hard to access their nets and they get stuck for hours in the Lake sometimes coming back without any catch.

The disappointment on their faces is quite evident as they go back home with countable stock of fish some even carrying home only a fish after a whole day’s toil in the Lake.

Female fish vendors at the beach are now venturing into alternative ways of earning such as selling grocery at the nearby Otonglo Shopping Centre.

Lake Victoria basin as an economic growth zone under the East African Corporation Treaty, provides investment opportunities like livestock trade, agriculture, fishing, mining and tourism.

Researchers from Chalmers University found that most fish species are almost extinct due to illegal fishing methods and over pollution.

Kumar Hamisi, a fisherman at the beach, also said that only mudfish are available in the Lake since the rest are over exhausted by rogue fishermen who use illegal gears to fish.

Other beaches in Kisumu like Dunga are also reeling from over pollution and the hyacinth menace as some fish species face extinction by the day.