Fishermen at Ralayo Beach in Rarieda, Siaya County, are now, calling on government for intervention to end invasion of their fish breeding zones by their Kisumu counterparts.
According to the fishermen, illegal activities on Lake Victoria have led to a dwindling stock of fish resulting to unstable prices of the commodity.
Against this, the fishmongers are forced to sell their commodities at low prices of between 220 shillings and 250 shillings per kilogram as opposed to the price of sh300 that they sell to processor
Beatrice Atieno, a boat owner and fishmonger at Ralayo beach, says the stocks have drastically fallen due to the invasion of their fish breeding zones by the Kisumu fishermen who have been using illegal fishing gear.
It has been very unfortunate for Atieno that whereas their fishermen were trying their best to protect the breeding zones, their Kisumu counterparts have invaded the area and destroyed the zones causing a drastic drop in their sales because the commodity has now become scarce.
They only sell their fish to the local consumers and this forces them to sell at low prices of between Ksh.220 and Ksh.250 per kilogram as opposed to the price of Sh300 that they sell to processors.
Her counterparts Mary Akwany Amolo and Nelly Achieng’ Otieno lamented that apart from destruction of the fish breeding zones, the Kisumu fishermen have also been destroying their fishing gears which were currently very expensive.
This has subjected them to huge losses and therefore appealed for the intervention from the relevant authorities to end the vice.
Ralayo BMU Chairman Simon Onyango Oidho and Secretary Isaiah Apondi confirmed that indeed they have been suffering as a result of those illegal fishing gears and appealed to their counterparts from Kisumu to stop using them.
They equally pleaded for the intervention of the government to end the vice once and for all to help in conserving the lake.
