Eastern Africa Atlas of Coastal Resources: Kenya

Abstract

Marine fisheries in Kenya are based on a small number of species, the most important of which are demersal and caught by artisanal fishermen operating between the shoreline and the reef. Of the national total annual fishery production only 7.4% comes from marine waters. Freshwater fish landings in Kenya have always been higher than those from coastal waters. However, while the disparity was not too great until the mid-1970s, the difference has broadened significantly due to the marked increase in freshwater fish production since then. While freshwater fish production increased from around 22,000 tonnes in 1975 to 138,000 tonnes by 1989, marine fish landings have remained consistent between 5,000 and 8,000 tonnes over the same period.