WIO Mariculture Forum

Conservation of mangrove wetlands is vital for improvement of fishermen livelihoods along the East African coastline. This forms the basis under which the community mariculture (silvofisheries) initiatives have been spearheaded in the Kenyan coastline to boost the livelihood of coastal communities while empowering the local people to co-manage well the mangrove ecosystem. In the last three years community mariculture innovations in Kenya were funded by Coral Reef Degradation in the Indian Ocean (CORDIO) and implemented by Kwetu Training Centre.

This has developed and now five years down the line other organisations and Government departments have seen sense in this conservation strategy. These initiatives are aimed at involving the artisanal mangrove fishers and their immediate communities. Through dire effort the impossibility of culturing marine fish and mud crabs has now become reality through utilization of the bare mangrove sandy flat areas where historically salt extraction is carried out. These initiatives are ongoing in Kenya and Tanzania through collaboration with; Kwetu Training Centre, ACIDI/VOCA –SEEGAAD/SEMMA, IMS and WIOMSA which specifically has given more support in nurturing this technology. Mud crab silvofisheries in Kenya have resulted in the development of a simple technology for farming of mud crabs and fish. Mud crabs are now being cultured in drive-in cages and fattened in floating bamboo cages along natural mangrove channels. Fish (milkfish and mullets) are reared in the sandy flats behind the mangroves by making small earthen ponds (10m x 10m) hence inducing mangrove planting on the dykes due to the good excavated soils capable of supporting different species. Everything is kept organic just to induce natural productivity while the technology is made simple by using locally available materials hence, easily diffused and accessed by the communities in the region.

So where have we come from?

Initial pond construction One year later

Food on the table for the community Women group work on pond to culture fish

Milkfish feeding in one of the Marg 1 experimantal ponds Mud crab drive-in cages

Community nursery establishment Visitors to a mud crab culture site

The initiatives need a lot of support for training, awareness creation and development of demo-projects. Collaboration a close the board is welcome to achieve the intended conservation and livelihood improvement through empowering of the coastal fishermen.

Contacts for Further information and collaboration:

David Oersted Mirera; P. O. Box 98422-Mombasa: dimirera@yahoo.com: +254-722-646270

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