Fees will kill our trade, say fishermen

Fisherfolk are unhappy with the introduction of taxes on their business, saying it would kill commercial fishing.

The Finance Act, 2014, has introduced 11 licensing regulations that require fish farmers and those harvesting fish at Lake Naivasha to pay fees to the county government.   

The taxes, according to Mr John Kabiru, the chairman of Nakuru County Fish Value Chain, will kill the industry.

More than 1,200 farmers are engaged in commercial fish farming in the county, while at least 500,000 households depend on fishing in Lake Naivasha.

“If the county government introduces excessive taxes regardless of the high cost of input, farmers will be forced to just abandon their fish ponds because the business will no longer be profitable,” Mr Kabiru.

Under the new regulations, a person wishing to become a commercial fisherman at the lake must be licensed and pay a Sh1,000 annual fee.

Although commercial fishing is mainly done in Lake Naivasha, the Ministry of Irrigation has launched a campaign to encourage people to rear fish in ponds to minimise dependence on the lake.

Over-harvesting and illegal fishing in the fresh water lake has been blamed for depletion of tilapia in the water mass.

To operate a fishing vessel in the lake, one is now required to obtain a certificate of registration, which can only be issued after paying Sh10,000.

However, fish farmers will be allowed to trade without a fish trader’s licence, which is obtained at an annual fee of  Sh2,000.