Abstract:
Lake Turkanafishery consists of 12 commerciallyexploited species andisthe second largest producer of freshwater fish in Kenya.Itsupportslivelihoods of approx.300,000 people locally.The lake is managed by beachmanagement units (BMU) through a co-management arrangementbetweenthegovernment and stakeholders.Despite this, itfacesmanagement relatedchallengesthathaveresultedinplummeting fish production due touncontrolled fishing effort,increased competition among fishermenanddeficientstatisticsto supportmanagement objectives.This studyassessed thecapacity of BMUs in implementing fisheries co-managementpolicybydescribingfunding sourcesand usage,trainingand skills development,equipmentownershipandlevelof understanding of BMU laws andregulations.A cross-sectionalstudy wasadoptedand purposive samplingused to collect datafrom 693 respondentsusing questionnaires.Chi squarewasused to test forsignificanceofassociationsbetween variablesat95%significant levelusingMINITAB statisticalsoftware.Results showed thatresource mobilization was statistically significant (x2=154.098, df=21,p<0.001)withdonors(45%) contributingmostfundscompared to nationalgovernment (21%), county government (19%) and well wishers (15%).Mainrevenue sources were membership registration (41%)and daily landing fees(25%).Revenue was used to purchase fishing gears (47%), supported welfareactivities(18%)whilesignificant portion (35%) was sharedbymembers.Members’ training was statistically significant (x2=79.510, df=14,p<0.001)but only 35%wereeffectively trained while 65%hadcontrary opinion.Memberswere trainedon fish handling (49%), BMU laws (28%)and micro-credit (23%) but keytraining gapsincludeddata collection, conflicts
30Ogoma et al., (2019)Egerton J. Sci. & Technol. Volume 17:29-49ISSN No. 2073-8277resolution and sea surveillance/patrols.BMUs ownedequipment;however,87%werepoorly servicedwhileotherswerenotavailable.BMUperformance could be improved mainly by providing financial support(27%), capacity building (19%) and securityto fishermen (17%).This studyidentifiedcritical capacityfactors influencingBMUoperations.Thefactorsshould be enhancedbyvarious stakeholders tosupportBMU performanceandpromotecollaborative management of fisheries resources in LakeTurkana.
