RUSEP

Unfavorable climate changes and the absurdly expensive cost of legally mandated fishing nets have been the main driving forces behind and supporting young fishermen engaged in the illegal fishing of juvenile tilapia, according to a young fisherman engaged in the illegal trade. Because of these flaws, criminals have been able to proliferate and create one of Kenya's most intricate and lucrative organized crime networks. As a solution to the issue of illegally fishing for young tilapia in Kalokol, L. Turkana, fishermen are requesting solutions that are mindful of these factors.
Please see more on this on our Documentary below
https://youtu.be/LeOrKXvRs7o?si=d9QA4zcNgSWuv9Rh

Dr Willis from ENACT-ISS explains how the illegal fishing of juvenile tilapia from Lake Turkana in Kalokol is a form of organised crime and a crime against nature, perpetrated by various profiteers who circumvent the rule of law to maximise their profits in Turkana and across the borders into East Africa and the DR Congo market. Follow the link here for the full documentary. https://youtu.be/LeOrKXvRs7o?si=1j-wqf6pfE66jpYk

Did you know that locals from Kalokol L ,Turkana only fish for the immature tilapia at night? According to them, this is primarily because of the arid nature and high temperatures associated with the Turkana geography. Climate change has exacerbated this rise in temperature forcing the fish to avoid swimming closer to the water surface. As a result, fishermen are forced to fish the immature tilapia only at night. In addition, nother distinct feature of the illegal trade in Kalokol is that it is completely restricted to locals and no outsiders are allowed to perticipate in it.

Find out more on this on Youtube ‘Fishy Business in Turkana’ here👇
https://youtu.be/LeOrKXvRs7o?si=QHaemNU66ydqYFnY

The rise of the Congolese market has made the illegal traffic in immature tilapia more sophisticated. This market has inspired new actors including route managers, middlemen, and drivers, as well as a new element of corruption that smoothens the transportation and international border crossing of fish consignments. The introduction of these new actors and dynamics has dramatically increased revenues in the illicit trade, with analysts estimating a maximum of 5 million USD per year and middlemen claiming a profit of at least 5 million KSH per consignment delivered. This makes the trade more lucrative and hard to end because of the lumpsum profit it generates.

Find out more about this illicit trade on our documentary 'Fishy business in Turkana', on Youtube : https://youtu.be/LeOrKXvRs7o?si=QHaemNU66ydqYFnY

In this video, Dr. Willis Okumu, a Senior Researcher at the Institute for Security Studies’ ENACT, describes the volume of immature tilapia transported from Kalokol, L. Turkana, as well as the substantial profits generated by the participants. Additionally, Dr. Willis makes reference to the trade's environmental costs.

Immature tilapia fishing is an environmentally unsustainable practice since it jeopardizes not only tilapia population but also other large fish species that rely on the young tilapia for sustenance. The lake is greatly affected because the big fish can no longer survive because they luck food. In addition to being unsustainable for domestic consumption locally, this fishing is made even more distrustful when an economic agenda is implemented that places a higher priority on delivering immature fish to a sizable market like the one in the Eastern DRC.

Watch our documentary here for more informention on the illigal fishing: https://youtu.be/LeOrKXvRs7o?si=FuNcd01niqvVUrtS