Socio-economic Impacts of Fish Trade.
Trade in fish from Lake Victoria has since the late 1980s, become a major activity in the Partner States, due to increase in stocks of the introduced fish species (Nile perch and Nile tilapia). The dominance of the introduced species has transformed the fishery from subsistence into a major commercialised artisanal fishery for domestic, regional and international markets. The main economic benefits from fish are employment, income and food. Regionally, trade in fish is contributing a significant proportion of protein intake for the majority of the Lake Basin inhabitants including those in major urban centres. The supply for this market is mainly Omena/Mukene/Dagaa, Nile perch, and Tilapia. The traded fish regionally is mainly salted Nile perch and dried Dagaa which are exported mostly to Congo, Zambia and other Southern African countries. The growth of International trade in Nile perch has led to the establishment of several fish processing plants for export to destinations mainly in EU and the Far East countries. Currently there are 29 operational fish processing plants regionally. At the base of this trade are some 175,890 men and women operating 52,479 crafts. The resultant socio-economic impacts of fish trade are many and varied. Growth in fish trade has provided the region with the much-needed foreign exchange. Fish processing for export has provided employment opportunities for those involved directly and indirectly in the fisheries sector. There are thousands of people involved in the marketing and distribution of fish and fisheries products. There are many auxiliary services that are heavily dependent on fish trade (breweries and soft drinks industry, transport, net manufacturing, boat building, petroleum products, packaging materials, e.t.c.) and which have led to economic growth and an increase in households' incomes, and poverty reduction. The increase in prices of Nile perch products has prompted fishers to increase fishing effort in order to maximize opportunities. New entrants with declining opportunities elsewhere have also joined the fishery resulting in numerous fishing villages which threaten the lake basin environment. As trade in fish grew, some fishers adopted unscrupulous fishing methods, gears and practices (e.g. under-sized nets, water diving, beach seining etc.). However, trade in Nile perch has resulted into demand for other by-products previously not traded in (e.g. fish swim bladder, fish skin and fish frames). The expansion in trade has introduced new scenarios such as private ownership of beaches or plots near the lake making it impossible for government to plan for public utilities. Insecurity in the lake has increased because of the remoteness of some of the beaches, which offer protective grounds for those escaping from justice. Some fishers have turned to stealing and robbing other fishers across the borders causing concern, as Declining stocks of target fish species for international trade and for food security coupled with rapid population growth that is solely dependent on the fisheries require urgent attention. The undesirable harvesting methods threaten the fisheries and are bound to have far reaching effects if not checked. Lack of financial advice and banking facilities has left the fisher community with a lot of daily disposable incomes, and the fisher associations and institutions particularly the cooperative movements have failed. Fisher communities have thus become targets of infectious diseases such as HIV/AIDS and Sexually transmitted Diseases (STDs) as careless spending has emerged.
| Main Authors: | , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Book Section biblioteca |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Lake Victoria Fisheries Organization
2005
|
| Subjects: | Freshwater fish, Inland fisheries, Lake fisheries, Socioeconomic aspects, Trade, Fishery resources, |
| Online Access: | http://hdl.handle.net/1834/7204 |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|