Constraints and Opportunities for ‘Community Participation’ in the Management of the Lake Victoria Fisheries

Abstract

During the last 20 years the Lake Victoria fisheries have been completely transformed. From being a locally based fishery with little intervention and capital investment from outside, the present fishery is dominated by national and international capital penetrating the industry. There are many institutions and organisations involved in the management and development of the Lake Victoria fisheries. They all emphasise the importance of promoting community participation. The main objective of this article is to discuss some aspects of this concept and relate it to changes that have occurred. We discuss what we think are some of the relevant areas for community participation in the Lake Victoria fisheries. Employment in one of the sectors of the fisheries is, in our view, the precondition and major entry point for participation of the local people. We discuss in detail how the new technologies introduced in the fisheries and the new markets in the north for fish from Lake Victoria to a large extent have contributed to a loss of employment for the local people in many sectors of the fisheries. The role of the East African governments and the international community is discussed in this context.