A fisherman going about his business on the lake surface covered with water hyacinth. [Photo/Business Daily]
The Ministry of Agriculture is currently conducting a research that is geared toward finding a sustainable solution that will eradicate water hyacinth menace on Lake Victoria.
According to Agriculture Cabinet Secretary Willy Bett, the research is expected to provide economic use of the weed.
Fishing has been the major economic activity for the people living in the lake regions of Kenya. However, having to deal with the weeds growing on the water surfaces is a nightmare for fishermen trying to fish in Lake Victoria.
“I urge you to adopt cage fishing in order to counter obstacles brought about by the water hyacinth menace,'' said Bett.
The lake is suffocating under hyacinth that has undermined fishing activities in the region as the fish choke and dies from the insufficient supply of oxygen.
“We are now finding other uses of the hyacinth. We have research and other investors who are trying to covert hyacinth into fertilizer that would be another way to ensure we remove hyacinth progressively and free the waters of the weed,” said Bett.
Bett was speaking in Shimoni where he was attending the Fisheries Day. He said that efforts had earlier been put in place to control hyacinth by depositing chemicals but were not successful.
However, he expressed hope that the research being conducted will be successful.