A government official patrols Kenyan waters following a rise in illegal fishing. PHOTO | FILE
Kenya, in collaboration with the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, will establish a fisheries crime school in the race to clamp down on illegal fishing.
The school, to be hosted at the University of Nairobi , will train people like prosecutors on how best to fight those practising illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing.
Kenya does not gain from most of its fish because of illegal activities, denying local fishermen and the country revenue from the venture.
“The fish that we lose to illegal activities is meant to change with the establishment of this fisheries academy, which will tackle the activities,” said Fisheries principal secretary Micheni Ntiba.
Prof Ntiba said that the academy will churn out prosecutors and other officers who will be responsible for handling illegal fishing suits.
“The academy aims to translate into practice the fisheries crime law enforcement model, which promotes use of relevant laws as entry points for initial detection of fisheries crimes and subsequent investigations and prosecution,” Prof Ntiba said.
The academy will be established in two other countries, Indonesia and South Africa. Delegates from the countries will meet in Mombasa next week for a two-day workshop to discuss the process of the institution’s establishment.
Kenya has been implementing a raft of measures to curb illegal fishing which has seen the country lose up to Sh10 billion annually.
The country has ordered for a Sh3.6 billion ship to patrol its Indian Ocean territory to deter illegal fishing within its waters. The ship, which has ability to detect illegal movement of fishing vessels, is expected in the country in January.
The new fisheries law which took effect in July has also been adopted. It compels foreign fishermen to declare the worth of their catch before leaving.
Prof Ntiba noted that the new law imposes a fine of Sh50 million on any person engaging in illegal fishing within Kenya’s territorial waters.
Kenyan fishermen are expected to fish up to 200 nautical miles into the ocean under Exclusive Economic Zones rules, but they operate at below five nautical miles for lack of appropriate fishing gear to venture into deep seas.
The country has a large fishing zone with potential to produce 300,000 tonnes of fish annually valued at about Sh75 billion.
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