Naivasha, Solai lakes get fish restock to avert exhaustion
Roy Lumbe @lumbe_roy
The County Government of Nakuru has started restocking lakes Naivasha and Solai with tilapia and catfish fingerlings to avert depletion of the species from the two water bodies.
County Agriculture Executive Dr Immaculate Maina over the weekend said the exercise, to cost Sh4 million, will see the lakes restocked with 15,000 tilapia and 11,000 catfish fingerlings.
“We have also introduced closed fishing seasons and enforced stringent regulations on appropriate fishing equipment as a way of managing fish populations.
The county has started training programmes for communities living around the water bodies on sustainable fishing methods,” said Maina.
She said restocking of the two species will also be carried out in rivers and dams in Molo, Rongai, Kuresoi North and Kuresoi South sub-counties.
Maina, who spoke on the shores of Lake Solai when she oversaw the restocking exercise, said the county government had set aside Sh40 million for construction of raised fish ponds within Naivasha Sub-county while the National government had provided 1,000 pond liners to fish farmers within the county.
Establish ponds
“It is only in Lake Naivasha where commercial fishing is allowed under very controlled conditions.
It is in the best interest of communities that residents are encouraged to establish fish ponds instead of depending on the lakes for their supply,” said the CEC.
The restocking comes even as the practice of illegal fishing is on the rise.
Maina said her department was assisting fish farmers’ co-operatives to acquire pond liners and fingerlings for their already existing ponds.
