Experts now say climate change is threatening Kenya’s fishing industry
Posted by JUDITH DORA AKOLO on 19 June 2022 5:45 PM CAT
Source: https://www.kbc.co.ke/climate-change-threatens-kenyas-fishing-industry-experts/
Kenya’s fishing industry is staring at a bleak future due to the adverse impact of climate change on the country’s water bodies.
The sector which supports millions of small-scale farmers is grappling with dwindling catches and rising water levels. Experts are warning that millions of subsistence and artisanal fisheries are the most affected by worsening climate change even though they account for 40 percent of global catch annually.
Speaking at a conference on potential impacts of climate change on small-scale fisheries, it emerged that rising temperatures are currently interfering with aquatic habitats and affecting traditional breeding cycles leading to a lower catch.
Experts now say urgent collective interventions are needed to mitigate these adverse effects. According to marine life experts, can strengthen climate-ready fisheries management. Experts are warning that the threat to small-scale fishing is exacerbated by heightened human activities and climate change. They say these stocks will remain under threat not only from underinvestment but from extensive commercial activities.
Speakers attending the regional Eco-fish Integrated Programme Management Unit here in Nairobi have also said that the lack of policy support for small-scale fisheries and aquaculture are also affecting the fisheries sub-sector in the region.
The two-day conference convened by the Ecofish Integrated Programme Management Unit has brought together representatives from Kenya, Madagascar, Mauritius, Mozambique, Seychelles, and Tanzania who hope to follow up on capacity needs, gaps, adaptation, and resilience priority actions to safeguard against the rising challenges in the fishing sector.
