This is one of the directorates under the department of Agriculture and Animal Resources which plays an important role in the fishery and aquaculture sector in the County’s and global economy. The directorate is mandated to provide for the exploration, utilization, management, development and conservation of fisheries resources in the County to contribute to poverty reduction and wealth creation in the country. In Busia County, the sector provides food, nutrition, employment and income to a hundred of millions of population and earns the county billions from foreign exchange.Among our responsibilities include:

The directorate is supporting over 1000 people directly as fishermen and 1,868 fish farmers with 227 stoked fish ponds. It is also supporting 20065 people directly and indirectly working as fishers, traders, processors, suppliers and merchants of fishing accessories and employees and their dependents.

In 2019, fish production from Inland Capture fisheries contributed 5,004,810 kgs of County’s total fish production amounting to Ksh. 509,152,638 with the principal fishery being that of Lake Victoria. Aquaculture production amounted to 151,200.2 kgs earning farmers Kshs. 74, 640,827, a 66.4% increase from the previous year. Capture fisheries production also increased by 2.6% owing to the weekend ban giving room for reproduction and growth of smaller fish and also introduction of fish cages where fishermen have shifted to aquaculture in the open waters hence reducing pressure on capture fisheries.

For the last few years there has been a decline of fish stocks in Lake Victoria thereby creating a wide gap between supply and demand for fish in the County. In response to this undesirable situation the County directorate of fisheries has taken concrete steps to promote aquaculture development in the county by introducing and implementing Fish Cage Farming in Lake Victoria in Kenyan waters.

The directorate of fisheries has put a lot of efforts and resources in promoting aquaculture as a business both in the lake through open water cage culture systems and aquaculture parks on land systems to meet the growing population and demand for fish as a food and protein source.

Under this directorate the County Government of Busia has come up with ways to increase fish productivity to meet fish demand in the following ways;

• - Directorate has introduced cage fish farming in Bunyala and Samia sub counties in Lake Victoria waters to increase fishery and so far over 100 cages in the lake Victoria waters of Busia county. This has created employment to the youths, food and nutrition throughout the year, improved income and trade and reduced pressure of fishing on the lake.
• - Directorate has spearheaded extension in the sub counties where farmers have been sensitized on fish farming; they have constructed fish ponds and stocked with fingerlings. Almost every ward in the County has fish ponds.
• - Directorate through Kenya Devolution Support Program (KDSP) has received grands for construction of a modern fish market at the border thereby improving on the hygiene of the fish of traders and sanitation and also provide more space for trade.
• - Also under KDSP the County will establish a fish processing plant at ATC to reduce post-harvest loses and fish spoilage through freezing, chilling and filleting of fish. This will in a big way boost county’s fish trade hence high revenue and high GDP.
• - Directorate through Kenya Climate Smart Program (KCSP) is reviving fish hatcheries in the County i.e Wakhungu, Okerebwa and Butula hatcheries to ensure supply of quality and affordable fingerlings.
• - Directorate through KCSP is also reviving fish feed plant in the county in order to supply farmers with good quality and affordable fish feeds.

Whatsapp