KMFRI decries lack of quality marine fish feeds, funding

Aquaculture is an important source of food. Africa has the potential, but the problem has been funding and the cost of feed. [iStockphoto]

Lack of quality feeds for marine fish is slowing down the expansion of marine farming, a state agency has said.

Kenya Marine and Fisheries Research (KMFRI) Assistant Director for Mariculture David Mirera said finding quality feeds for sea fish is a challenge.

"What is currently available in the market is food for freshwater fish," Dr Mirera said.

According to the KMFRI official, lack of sea fingerlings and feeds has hindered the expansion of marine farming (mariculture) in the Coast region.

Another challenge is inadequate funding for research in marine fisheries to enable the country to achieve a more sustainable aquatic food system.

Mirera, however, said the government was in the process of setting up the first marine aquaculture hatchery at Shimoni in Kwale County to boost marine farming.

The assistant director was speaking on the sidelines of the Africa Aquaculture (AfriMaQUA) conference at a Mombasa hotel that ended at the weekend.

The meeting, which brought together fisheries researchers from across Africa, sought answers for the low farming of marine fish in Kenya and parts of the continent.

Mirera said mariculture had the potential but lacks the right feeds as those available are meant for freshwater fish.

Quality feeds

He said KMFRI was keen to produce quality feeds for marine farming and expand cage farming at the Coast to boost returns among communities.

"We are here to share knowledge as African countries on how best to develop mariculture because we have not maximised our products. We want to take the research agenda to the communities," he said.

The conference was titled "Towards a more sustainable aquatic food system: interdisciplinary research on sustainable marine aquaculture in Africa."

He said Kenya was also keen to expand seaweed and mud crab farming for value addition and export.

He said KMFRI has mapped out the Coast and found that ten villages are suitable for seaweed farming, which is a climate-smart crop as it absorbs more carbon and reduces the bleaching of corals.

According to the researcher, KMFRI was introducing tilapia that survives in saline water in the arid Bamba in Kilifi county to boost nutrition among locals.

Maria Darias, a researcher with the French National Research Institute for Sustainable Development (IRD), said Africa was the lowest in exploiting marine aquaculture despite having the highest potential in the world.

Dr Darias attributed this to low funding of research problems.

"Aquaculture is an important source of food. Africa has the potential, but the problem has been funding and cost of feeds," she noted.