Fingerlings hatchery to address fish deficit in the country

A worker at Victory Farms in the process of handling fish eggs in the hatchery at Victory Farms. (James Omoro, Standard).

An aquaculture company has established a fish incubation machine that will produce 30 million tilapia fingerlings annually to bridge the fish deficit in Kenya.

This comes amid the backdrop that Kenya currently has a serious shortage of fish.

According to data from the Directorate for Fisheries and Aquaculture Development in the State Department for Blue Economy and Fisheries, Kenya has a deficit of 450,000 metric tons of fish.

Victory Firms, an aquaculture company operating at Rowo village in Suba South Constituency, Homa Bay County, has established an ultra-modern fingerlings hatchery aimed at alleviating tilapia shortage in the country.

The hatchery constructed on the shore of Lake Victoria is aimed at hatching tilapia eggs.

The company rears numerous tons of fish in Lake Victoria through cage fish farming. The eggs obtained from the fish are collected and taken to the hatchery.

In the hatchery, the eggs are cleaned and exposed to various machine support processes that hatch them into fingerlings.

The Director of Aquaculture at Kenya Fisheries Service, Simon Macharia, Homa Bay CECM for Blue Economy, Sarah Malit, and Victory Farms’ Co-founder, Steve Moran, officially commissioned the hatchery for use.

Moran said they intend to boost fish production in the area.

He said their research had revealed that there is a shortage of tilapia, which is a chief source of protein in Kenya.

“Our research findings revealed that there is a shortage of tilapia in this country. In order to bridge the gap, this company has come up with this hatchery to enhance the production of more fish in Kenya,” Moran said.

He said the fingerlings will be taken to branches of Victory Farms in various parts of the country.

Macharia said the fingerlings will also be used to support farmer groups to rear fish through aquaculture projects.

According to Macharia, the fingerlings will help to reduce the fish deficit in the country.

“As a country, we have a fish deficit of 450,000 metric tons.  The government is making various efforts to bridge the gap. One of them is a private–public partnership that is happening here,” Macharia said.

Malit said the government is committed to promoting cage fish farming to reduce fishing pressure on Lake Victoria.

“These fingerlings will promote cage fish farming in fish ponds and the lake. The aquaculture project will eventually reduce conflicts in Lake Victoria,” Malit said.

She said the county government was committed to creating an enabling environment for the private sector to establish ventures that enhance aquaculture in the area.

“We will continue to create an enabling environment for investors to boost fish production in this county,” Malita said.

Area residents expressed optimism that the fingerlings production project will create employment for residents.

The Secretary of Kaksingri Council of Elders, Joab Ikawa, said they initially perceived the establishment of the firm in the area as an eyesore. But the project has turned to be a source of livelihoods.

“This project is going to employ young people in this region. It will also enable elders to grow fishermen after retirement,” Ikawa said.