Nile perch fishery management plan for Laker Victoria 2015-2019

Abstract

The Lake Victoria Nile perch (NP) fishery (fishing and post-harvest activities) is a significant contributor to the social and economic development of the Lake Victoria Fisheries Organization (LVFO) Partner States (Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda). The catch of NP has averaged 250 000 tonnes per annum for the last two decades. During the last decade, the fishery has faced serious problems of overcapitalisation and overfishing and high levels of non-compliance to regulations in the fishing and post-harvest sub-sectors. This has led to decreasing stock health resulting in an increased vulnerability of the resource base and suboptimal contribution of the fishery to the lake-side economies. A first specific Fishery Management Plan for the Nile perch Fishery (NPFMP1) covering the period 2009-2014 was developed in 2008 by LVFO. Other initiatives, both national and regional, aimed at reversing the Nile perch stock decline have also been promoted since 2008. The implementation of NPFMP1 and related initiatives has led to some progress in the management of the NP fishery; however gaps and weaknesses are still affecting the sustainability of the fishery and the full expression of social and economic benefits that could be derived from proper management of the fishery. The LVFO has engaged since the end of 2013 in the revision of NPFMP1 and has requested the assistance of the EU-funded SmartFish Programme to prepare a final draft NPFMP2 covering the period 2015-2019. The process of preparing the NPFMP2 is expected to make use of lessons learnt from NPFMP1 and to place particular attention on governance and economic considerations. The NPFMP2 is also to be reorganized into a policy and planning document to present the most important aspects for various parties concerned, especially decision-makers, A Final Draft NPFMP2 was presented at a regional LVFO stakeholder’s workshop (Entebbe, 09th and 11th March 2015). On the third day of the meeting, Permanent/Principal Secretaries of the three Partner States joined the validation process of NPFMP2. The present document (called NPFMP2, 2015-2019, April 2015) incorporates the comments, suggestions and recommendations made during the stakeholders’ meeting. This document has been approved in principle by the Permanent/Principal Secretaries of the three Partner States who expressed their intention to support its adoption at the next LVFO-Council of Ministers (LVFO-CoM) meeting. They also expressed their wish that each country can, at a later stage, develop specific action plans and costings at national level in order to facilitate the overall implementation of the NPFMP2 when it is formally adopted