Artisanal and commercial fishing gear and practices in the Lake Victoria basin drainage systems of Kenya: A photodiagrammatic verification

Abstract

AbstractThis study focused on providing a photodiagrammatic database illustrating various types of fishing gear and practical skills currently used in artisanal and commercial fishing in the shoreline, nearshore and offshore areas drainage systems of Kenya in the Lake Victoria drainage basin. It also identified the fish species typically caught by the fishing gear, and the gear catch per unit effort and selectivity. Four artisanal fishing gears (spear, trap, basket and hook) and two commercial gears (mosquito seine and purse seine) are used to fish in shoreline areas. Five commercial fishing gears (gill net, parallel tennis net, semicircular‐tennis net, sett net, long line) are used to fish in nearshore areas, while two commercial gears (drift net and offshore seine net) are used in offshore areas. For artisanal fishing, the basket is the most efficient gear for catching six fish species. The mosquito seine is the most efficient commercial fishing gear for catching 22 fish species. There is evidence for a chronological shift to more efficient artisanal and commercial fisher handmade fishing gear, resulting in overexploitation of diverse fish species. At the same time, the licensing and management policies for the use of various fishing gear are unclear, suggesting re‐evaluation of policies to cater for the use of handmade fishing gear.