Kwale fishermen receive boat and fishing gear – Kenya News Agency
The fishing communities of Lunga Lunga sub-county in Kwale are very happy after receiving a fishing boat and equipment from the county government.
Deputy Governor (DG) Fatuma Achani, who handed over the equipment to Jimbo and Vanga Beach (BMU) management units, said the donations were intended to turn around the fortunes of traditional fishermen in the coastal county.
She said the equipment is intended to increase the fishing capacity of fishermen and improve food security and income in the region.
The DG said the equipment will help local fishermen exploit the vast marine resources of the vast coastline and reach deeper where larger catches are available.
She said the county government led by Salim Mvurya is focusing on the blue economy sector and will soon distribute fishing boats with nets and outboard motors, coolers, flares, liners, GPS gadgets, life rafts, life rings and life jacket floats. to fishermen in order to make fishing a profitable business.
She said the decentralized unit’s new interventions in the fisheries sector aim to improve the livelihoods, nutrition and income of fishermen.
Achani felt that fishing in Kwale needed to be turned into a commercial operation and that this could only be achieved by using modern, more efficient fishing methods and better technology.
She said huge investments were needed to boost ocean activities along the coastline, noting that fishing was a lucrative but long neglected industry.
Achani said the county government through the fisheries department to ensure sustainable fishing and to transform the sector by exploiting the abundant marine resources.
Hamisi Msemanga, a local fisherman, praised the county’s empowerment initiative, saying fishermen are often poorly equipped and need proper fishing gear to conduct deep-sea fishing activities and improve their lot.
The county government intervention comes as the European Union (EU) in Kenya launched the Climate Smart Agricultural Productivity Project (CSAPP) in Kwale County last month.
The CSAPP grant of 650 million shillings will support the research and dissemination of the Kenya Agricultural Livestock and Research Organization (KALRO) of climate-smart agricultural technologies targeting farmers, ranchers and fishermen.
By Hussein Abdullahi