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Fisheries Management
Our fisheries program is centered on fostering community stewardship and ownership which leads to community-owned interventions, reducing fishing pressure, increasing the protection of marine ecosystems, and allowing communities to adapt to changes. As the first step in managing and conserving marine resources, communities need to be aware of the existing marine resources in their area and clearly understand why it is critical to protect and value these resources.
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OCTOPUS CLOSURES
Since 2021, COMRED has partnered with Blue Ventures to establish octopus closures in Munje BMU
With the goal of increasing the community’s participation in strengthening and protecting Locally-Managed Marine Areas (LLMAs) and improving fishers' livelihoods.
An octopus closure is an area set aside by the community for octopus breeding that is periodically closed off and opened for fishing. Octopus closures offer ecological benefits: when an area is closed off from fishing the environment is able to recover. This recovery results in an increase in octopus and fish catch that improves livelihoods through income from their sale, food security, eco-tourism ventures such as snorkeling and job creation for closure patrol teams.
THE BENEFITS
Additionally octopus are also food for other marine creatures
In the year 2013 Munje had their first ever octopus closure from which they witnessed an increase in octopus and other fish catch and reef recovery. However, this initiative failed due to poor leadership that resulted in poor enforcement.
Having experienced the positive impacts of their previous closure, Munje BMU approached COMRED in 2021 to help them revive their octopus closure. This engagement is what resulted in the current Munje octopus closure, a project implemented by COMRED and funded by Blue Ventures.
In October 2023, Munje had their fist successful octopus closure opening and harvesting event which was conducted for 3 days with gleaning done for 3 hours each day by 14 selected fishermen meeting all set requirements including use of sustainable fishing gear.
649.324kg of octopus was harvested in this period and Kes 198,049 accrued by the Beach Management Unit from the sell of the octopus.
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Fish Catch Data Collection
In July 2022, COMRED initiated a fish catch data management system in Kwale, which we plan to expand to Kilifi County
Fisheries data is crucial in providing useful information on fishery dynamics, which is required for developing management and conservation strategies for fishery resources.
The main objective is to empower communities to make fact-based fisheries management decisions and evaluate the status of their marine resources. Additionally, this data aids in assessing the impact of our interventions and informing resource users and managers on the status of the resource, both at national and local levels.
The Impact
The Impact
- The development of Munje’s Co-management Area Plan 2023–2027 by the BMU, in collaboration with CORDIO-EA.
- Over Kes 250,000 accrued by Munje Beach Management Unit from the octopus closure (sale of octopus and tourist snorkeling fee)
- Over 1000 community members have been reached in fish catch data feedback meetings (Fishermen, fish traders and processors)
- Training of eight BMU members on ecological reef monitoring who have been issued with monitoring gear like snorkeling fins and masks.
- Training of 16 BMU members in surveillance and 20 in fish handling, hygiene and marketing.
- Governance training for 15 Munje BMU leaders on their roles and financial management for better management of their closure.
- 100 community members sensitized on fisheries data management process.
- 18 community data collectors in nine BMUs employed to collect fisheries catch data (Jimbo, Vanga, Majoreni, Kibuyuni, Shimoni, Mkwiro, Wasini, Munje and Mwandamu).
- 18 data collectors and nine chairpersons from nine BMUs were trained in fish identification, measurement and sampling techniques.
- 1 fish identification guide developed and published for use by data collectors.
- 135 executive members and 18 data collectors from nine BMUs reached in the first-ever fisheries data management feedback meeting.
- 18 data collectors and 18 BMU leaders from nine BMUS were trained on the use of the kobo toolkit as a digital data collection method.
1,000+
"Fisheries data belongs to the community. It is through data that BMUs can come up with fisheries management measures to address issues such as illegal & destructive fishing and come up with co-management plans such as setting up octopus closures."
"Fisheries data belongs to the community. It is through data that BMUs can come up with fisheries management measures to address issues such as illegal & destructive fishing and come up with co-management plans such as setting up octopus closures."
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