Monday, May 19, 2014

Teach a man to fish and you feed him for life



Fish is a delicacy the world over but according to a new report by FAO, harmful practices and poor  management  are a threat to the  fisheries and aquaculture sector.

Over the  years  production  from the sector  has been  increasing  gradually  with  the total production in 2012  estimated at  158 million tones.

In Kenya fish farming has gained popularity at the grass root level.  During the tenure of President Mwai Kibaki, fish farming was promoted within the constituencies under the economic stimulus program as a way of providing locals with not only an alternative source of food but also a different source of income.

 With the introduction of  counties under the  new  constitution that was adopted by the country in 2010,  Governors and other  county leadership have  fronted  fish  farming in  areas   where   the meal  was not an indigenous delicacy.

Recently a member of parliament  from central Kenya  offered  public  training  on how to  breed and cook  fish and  some of the constituents ended up fighting  for the pieces that had been  pan-fried.

This attests   to the  State  of the World  Fisheries and Aquaculture 2014  report which  show that  most of the growth in the  sector is  driven  by small scale farming.

Fish now accounts for almost 17 percent of the global population’s intake of protein -- in some coastal and island countries it can top 70 percent.

The sector also supports the livelihoods of 10–12 percent of the world’s population meaning if our water systems are managed well there is  even a greater potential of job creation.

The report also notes that illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing remains a major threat to marine ecosystems and also impacts negatively on livelihoods, local economies and food supplies.

Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day, teach him how to fish you feed him for life

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