The dwindling of natural fish in Lake Victoria has pushed residents in Migori County to engage in fingerling production as a way of creating self-employment opportunities.
Experts say that replenishing the natural stock has become the biggest challenge as a result of overfishing.
The move to produce fingerlings will fast the cogs promoting fish farming and helping in reducing over-fishing.
Speaking during celebrations to mark the Aquaculture Day held at Ranen village (Raneville) Farm in Awendo Sub County on Wednesday, Migori County Executive Committee (CEC) Member for Fishery and Livestock Lucas Mosenda, emphasized the importance of focusing on aquaculture as a means to boost employment among the youth.
It is our commitment to promote aquaculture in this region and, one of the areas we want to prioritize is to train our youth on how best to grow fingerlings to be able to promote fish farming in this region as well be one of the best incomes earning activity for them
Lucas Mosenda
Aquaculture
Mosenda revealed that the County Government had launched a youth educational program on aquaculture in a bid to train 200 young people to become experts in fingerling breeding and fish farming.
He said the program will incorporate the production of fingerlings as one of its core units which will help to address the rising demands for fish seeds within Migori County and beyond.
“It is our commitment to promote aquaculture in this region and, one of the areas we want to prioritize is to train our youth on how best to grow fingerlings to be able to promote fish farming in this region as well be one of the best incomes earning activity for them,” said Mosenda.
Raneville farm has been for seven years a front runner in fingerling production business within the county and generates an impressive monthly income of over Sh.100,000 shillings revenue from the sale of fingerlings.
We established this farm in 2015 to boost production of fingerlings. As at now the farm has created multiple job opportunities for the local community especially the youths who are the majority of our workers
George Otieno
Fish farms
Apart from Raneville Farm, Migori County currently has approximately 1,300 fish farms (ponds) and three fingerling production units that experts hope will take the region to a higher level of fish production in the near future.
“Our decision to venture into the production of fingerling is strategic and it has proven to be of financial benefit to the farm,” said Mr. George Otieno, the Raneville Farm manager.
“We established this farm in 2015 to boost production of fingerlings. As at now the farm has created multiple job opportunities for the local community especially the youths who are the majority of our workers,” he furthered.
He further noted said that their main focus at the moment was on the production of fingerlings which currently is solving the problem of a high deficit in fish seeds within the region.
Otieno explained that the worrying huge gap in fingerlings production was forcing farms in Migori to procure the seeds from fish farms as far as Sagana in Nyeri County, leading to the high cost of transport on their part.
He highlighted the kingfisher predator birds and lack of sufficient capital to run the business as part of the major challenge.