Stock assessment of key commercial fisheries species of Kenya

Abstract

Capture fisheries provide a critical source of protein and livelihoods for Kenya's coastal communities. The marine and coastal fisheries target a high diversity of species, extending from nearshore to the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ).As the coastal population increases, the level of fishing effort is likely to increase with increased demand for fish due to the open access nature of the fisheries. Updated information on the status of exploited fish stocks is therefore, a critical component of sound policy making and sustainable fisheries management. The exploitation dynamics of Kenya's coastal fisheries has been extensively studied. However, a majority of Kenya's marine fish stocks have not undergone formal stock assessment due to insufficient/inconsistent data and limited resources. Such fisheries are generally categorized as data-poor. The goal of the KCDP Research Component was to oversee the stock assessment of selected priority species and to facilitate the development of management measures. The stock assessments focused on nearshore fisheries and resulted in the development of fishery management plans that lead towards enhancing governance and capacity development. The achievements of the stock assessments complemented other past research efforts, such as the South West Indian Ocean Fisheries Project (SWIOFP).