Kilifi, KENYA: Fish business in Kilifi County is currently at its peak as the season of low monsoon winds kicks in.
Fish businessmen and women say they are now ripping a lot of profits from the sea due to the low fish prices in the market.
According to them, the amount of fish on a daily basis is almost six times the amount of fish they used to get that was around two hundred kilograms.
Speaking to Baraka FM on Wednesday, Shalo Issa a boat operator at the Kilifi Central Beach Management Unit said the coming of the foreign fishermen from Pemba and Zanzibar islands has beefed up the catch due to modern fishing facilities.
He said they use modern methods and fishing machines capable of going to the deep sea where the migration fish such as Tuna, Sailfish and Kingfish from Arabia to Mozambique is currently taking place.
“We are very grateful that the season has begun well and we are ripping a lot of fish in the Indian ocean as of now,” Issa said.
“The coming of these foreign fishermen from Pemba and Zanzibar has helped us a lot because we normally get a lot of fish from there modern fishing methods, facilities and also experience,” he added.
Rukia Juma, a fishmonger from Mtaani in the suburbs of Kilifi town, has hailed the season saying the prices have been lowered to an affordable rate.
“We used to buy at higher prices because the catch was very low, we used to buy fish for up to sh. 200 per kilogram but we now buy them for sh. 130.” Said Rukia.
However, the stakeholders are appealing to the County and National government to invest a lot in the fisheries department with consultations from them.
They say by doing so, the tendency of bringing foreign fishermen will cease and increase the profit to the people of Kilifi County.
