Poachers have field day as leaders disagree over 3-month fishing ban

A legal fisherman in Lake Naivasha shows part of his day’s catch which is threatened by the high number of poachers. [PHOTO: ANTONY GITONGA/STANDARD]

On the vast but ‘naked’ beach, several activities are going on long after the early sun’s rays hit the water mass that is Lake Naivasha. On one end, a group of women and some youths are immersed in the not-so-clean lake fetching water either for commercial or home use.

In another end, a group of stark naked men bathe in the open, unperturbed by the rising numbers, which include minors.

The naked men are joined by a herd of livestock driven in by a Maasai moran, leaving behind a wave of dust.

At the beach, some fishermen are busy, either repairing their boats or nets as an old transistor radio belts out an old benga song.
It is, however, a group of men dressed only in inner-wears that stands out as they move in a line, pulling a fishing net from the lake towards the shores.

The poachers are openly armed with machetes, which are held by a piece of clothe around their waist while others carry gunny bags already half filled with illegally harvested fish.

The passing of an engine boat carrying tourists metres away temporarily disrupts the poachers before they resume their “work” a few minutes later in what is a breeding zone.

The undersize nets literally trap anything from a 5kg species of common carp to fingerlings introduced a few weeks ago.

This is currently the situation in the troubled lake, which has always been in the news for all the wrong reasons. There is supposed to be a three-month fishing ban in force running from July to September but Nakuru County government has shelved this.

However, in a report written to the Nakuru County Government and by the Naivasha Sub-County fisheries office, the department paints a grim picture on the status of the lake.

The current situation of the Lake Naivasha Fishery report notes that the number of illegal, unregulated fishing boats and illegal fishers has increased tremendously in the last couple of months. “Unless urgent action is taken, the fisheries resources in the lake may be depleted before the end of this financial year,” reads the report in part.

The chairman of Lake Naivasha fisheries management committee David Mbau Ndirangu has confirmed receiving a copy of the report, which he describes as disturbing. He says an earlier attempt by some fishermen and fisheries officers to deal with the poachers had been met with armed resistance, leading to injuries.

“The worrying thing is the high number of illegal fishermen who are using undersize nets and fishing in the breeding zones,” he says.
Naivasha Sub-County fisheries officer Mathew Ngila admits that poaching is a serious threat to the lake, adding that this poses a risk to previous efforts to restock the lake.

Ngila says that the department wants fines imposed on poachers increased from the current maximum of Sh20,000 to Sh100,000.

“We arrest at least seven poachers per week in Lake Naivasha but many return to the lake after paying fines,” he says.

The issue is further worsened by the differences between the national and county government on the status of the fishing ban.

According to Fisheries Principal Secretary Japhet Ntiba, it’s only the ministry that can lift or suspend the annual fishing ban.

“As far as I know the issuing of fishing ban in Lake Naivasha is still in place and the fishermen should respect this as it’s meant to restock the water body,” says Prof Ntiba.

However, Nakuru County Executive for Agriculture Dr Stanley Chepkwony says that the county has lifted the annual fishing ban as fish production has increased sharply.