STATUS, CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES OF THE COLD CHAIN SYSTEM IN KENYA: THE CASE OF THE FISHERIES SECTOR IN LAMU AND MOMBASA COUNTIES

Purpose: This study examined the status, challenges and opportunities of the fishing sub-sector in Mombasa and Lamu counties in Kenya. The study examined the various opportunities cold chain have in development of the fisheries sector. The study zeroed on factors like the economic, administrative, financial, technological and cultural attributes that influence the efficiency of the cold chain. Methodology: Literature reviewed showed that shortage of reliable and adequate cold chain facilities in sub-Saharan Africa is one of the main causes of losses of perishable products however there’s little documentation of the study on the status, challenges and opportunities of cold chain technologies in the fishing sector in Kenya. The study adopted a descriptive research design. The study focusses on 2 counties in Coastal Kenya i.e. Mombasa and Lamu Counties. The justification for selecting the 2 sites was that Lamu fisheries industry is extensive and highly developed, Lamu receives the highest number of fish harvest. Primary data was obtained through questionnaires and personal interviews. The personal interviews took 5 days in Mombasa and 5 days in Lamu. The data was analyzed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences; SPSS version 20. Results: The main result of the study was showed that cold chain is widely used and required in the advancement of fishing in all the study sites. The study also revealed that Lamu County is more dependent on cold chain for fishing to earn profit for the sector as it final market is Mombasa a distance of over 200km away. The needs of the type, capacity and partnership is different from one Beach Management Unit to the other. This is primarily due to factor such fish catch, governance dynamics, access and affordability of cold chain technology and distance to the market. Unique contribution to theory, practice and policy: The study indicated that there has been deliberate effort by the two tier government – National and County to invest in Cold chain however this has been faced with myriad challenges where this installed equipment are either not operating efficiently or have stalled. The study indicated and showed that there needs to be systematic approach when selecting and managing cold chain equipment in the fishing sector.

Factors Linking Declining Reef Health Ecosystem to Poverty in Lagonoy Gulf, Eastern Bicol, Philippines

This paper provided likely linkage between poverty and reef health status in Lagonoy Gulf. It showed that fishers are poor as reflected by their weekly income ranging from PhP 2,500.00 to <500.00 averaging PhP 1,214.00 which is way below the PhP 3,596 week-1 poverty threshold for Bicol Region. Population density in coastal municipalities is highest in Albay with 512 ind. km-2 and least in Catanduanes with 325 ind. km-2. Fishers are relatively ageing with mean age of 48 years and average fishing experience of 29 years. Majority only reached or finished primary level, and only 6% reached college. Five out of six do not own boat and gears, showing financial incapacity. Hook and lines were used by 66% of the fishers while, nets comprised 32%. Living coral cover declined from 1993 to 2018 by almost 25%. High dependence to coastal resources, high demand for seafood, destructive gears, lack of supplemental sources of income, low educational background, lack of skills, low income are identified contributory factors to habitat degradation. With the declining reef health and fish catch, fishers that are living below poverty threshold are more likely to become poorer because the reef’s capacity to provide goods and services is lost.

The Relationship between Environmental Factors and Catch Abundance of Hairtail in the East China Sea Using Empirical Dynamic Modeling

The East China Sea population of hairtail (Trichiurus lepturus, also known as T. japonicus) is a commercially important element of Chinese fisheries. Hairtail has long been widely exploited. Due to overfishing, however, its production declined over the years. One of solutions to this dilemma is to institute reasonable fishery policies. Generally, skillful short-term and long-term prediction of fish catch is a central tool for guiding the development of fishery policy. Accurate predictions require a comprehensive understanding of the relationship between fluctuations in fish catch and variability in both fishing effort and marine environmental conditions. To investigate the combined impact of fishing effort and marine environments on hairtail catch and to develop models to predict hairtail catch, we applied empirical dynamic modeling (EDM) to data on East China Sea fisheries, including hairtail catch, fishing effort, and marine environmental factors. EDM is an equation-free approach that enables the investigation of various complex systems. We constructed all possible multivariate EDM models to investigate the potential mechanisms affecting hairtail catch. Our analysis demonstrates that all key environmental factors (salinity, summer monsoon, sea surface temperature, precipitation, and power dissipation index of tropical cyclones) have an impact on nutrient supply, which we suggest is the central factor influencing hairtail catch. Finally, our comparison of EDM models with parametric models demonstrates that EDM models overwhelmingly outperform parametric models in analysis of these complex interactions.

Juveniles and undersized fish in small-scale fisheries: gillnets are not less implied than trawling

Of particular concern in commercial fishing catch is 'size bycatch', i.e., the death of early stages of resources that would reach a marketable value when they turn into adults. This event is frequently associated with trawling because of the lower size selectivity of this gear as compared to gillnets. However, this is expected when small-scale fisheries (SSF) employ gillnets simultaneously in setnets + driftnets that mix multiple mesh sizes. This work analyzes fishing captures and compares characteristics of fish catch from gillnets and trawlers with respect to size at first maturation, legal size of capture, and expected discards. Data were obtained from 2007-2021 for SSF in Southern Brazil. A total of 112 fish species were represented in the data. Gillnets exploited fewer species than trawlers; however, most of these constitute fishing resources in the study region. Of the 19 species whose maturation size is known, nine occurred in gillnets as juveniles, and of the 14 species for which the legal size of capture is established, seven occurred in gillnets in prohibited sizes. Gillnets and trawlers presented size bycatch and affected different species between them, with four resources that were present in bycatch from both gillnets and trawlers. The broad range of mesh sizes employed by SSF warns of the discarding of undersized captures, and stresses the importance of policies addressing gillnet management.

DINAMIKA MUSIM PENANGKAPAN IKAN CAKALANG DAN TONGKOL DI PERAIRAN PALABUHANRATU

The monthly fluctuation of fish catch is closely related to the presence of fish or the fishing season. Information about the fishing season is important to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of fishing carried out by fishermen. Skipjack and tuna are important catches landed by fishermen in Palabuhanratu fishing port, with fishing grounds in the waters around Palabuhanratu Bay. This study aims to describe the dynamics of the catch and the effort to catch skipjack and tuna that land their fish in the Palabuhanratu fishing port and determine the fishing season. The data used is the Palabuhanratu fishing port fisheries statistical data for the 2015-2019 period. Data analysis used catch per unit effort (CPUE) analysis and moving average model. The results showed that the CPUE value of skipjack tuna fluctuates tends to increase by 0,009 tons per trip and reaches the highest in 2017 which is around 3,068 tons per trip. The CPUE value of tuna tends to increase from 0,021 tons per trip in 2015 to 0,266 tons per trip in 2019. The skipjack tuna fishing season occurs in March, July to November, while the tuna fishing season occurs from July to November. Keywords: skipjack tuna, fishing season index, moving average model, tongkol, Palabuhanratu

Distribution and diel vertical migration of mesopelagic fishes in the Southern Sargasso Sea — observations through hydroacoustics and stratified catches

Vertical distribution patterns and relative abundance of mesopelagic fish species and other major taxonomic groups were investigated through vertically stratified trawl sampling and hydroacoustic analyses along the subtropical convergence zone from 52° W to 70° W in the oligotrophic Sargasso Sea. Persistent stationary layers and several migrating components of different scattering characteristics were detected. The results reveal varying vertical migration patterns, including different times of onset of diel vertical migration in different depths and a migrant pathway emerging daily from the lower deep scattering layer (DSL) at dusk and migrating through the upper DSL without affecting its composition. Fish species identification was made based on morphological characteristics and confirmed by genetic barcoding analyses of subsamples. In total, 5022 fish specimens from 27 families, 62 genera and 70 species were caught. In terms of relative abundance (A) and biomass (M), catches were dominated by species of the families Myctophidae (A=59.1%, M=47.4% of total fish catch) and Melamphaidae (A=22.5%, M=17.1%). Myctophidae and Stomiidae were the most species-rich families with 31 and 12 species, respectively. Catches at the two easternmost stations were dominated by Scopelogadus mizolepis and Nannobrachium cuprarium, while Bolinichthys photothorax and Ceratoscopelus warmingii were the most abundant species in catches from the two westernmost stations. This study provides insights into distribution and vertical migration behaviour of mesopelagic fish in the Sargasso Sea and adds to our understanding of the mesopelagic community in this large oceanic area.

The Determinants of Fish Catch: A Quantile Regression Approach

The goal of this study is to use quantile regression (QR) to find predictors of fishers’ catch and compare it with OLS regression. The heterogeneous association across the different quantiles of the catch distribution was investigated using QR analysis. The findings reveal that the effect changes depending on where a fisher is in the catch distribution. In the OLS, there are several non-significant predictors that appear to be significant in quantile regression. By OLS regression, demographic variables have little effect on fishers’ catch; but, in quantile regression, marital status, fishing hours, and use of motorized boats appeared to have a relatively high impact at the top of the distribution.

Fishing Ground Mapping of Demersal Fish in The Riau Islands Province Waters Related to the Oceanographic Factors

Research on the potential fishing ground for demersal fishing is a way to determine the areas that have the potential for fishing activities. Potential fishing ground mapping can be done by observing the dynamics of oceanographic parameters. The use of satellite imagery helps in providing oceanographic data in order to study the variability of oceanographic parameter. The aim of the study was to analyse the relationship between oceanographic parameter and demersal fish catch in order to validate potential fishing grounds for demersal fish. This research has been conducted in the waters of the Riau islands. Field observations and data collection including surveys of fishing grounds and identification of fish catches were carried out during March to August 2020. To support the analysis, Aqua-Modis Level-3 satellite data was used to observe the oceanographic variations. The data used in the analysis consisted of fishing grounds coordinate information, catches, sea surface temperature, chlorophyll-a, water depth, and salinity. The results showed that during the period 2010-2020, oceanographic dynamics did not experience significant changes or tended to be stable. Most of the research areas indicated appropriate categories for fishing activities based on the research parameters analysis. The correlation of the research parameters described a significant effect on fishing activities.

Population parameters of several groupers (Famili Serranidae) in Labuan Bajo waters, East Nusa Tenggara

Labuan Bajo has a fertile aquatic ecosystem, one of them is the coral reef ecosystem. This condition happened because of the supply of nutrients that are carried through Indonesia Through Flow and the local upwelling phenomena. Various species of reef fish of various sizes have been caught in Labuan Bajo waters. In general, the type of reef fish that dominates is grouper fish catch by using handline fishing gear. Furthermore, there is damage that occurs in the coastal ecosystem causes changes in ecological functions and disrupted ecosystem benefits. In addition, pressure from overuse did not provide opportunities for resources to carry out recovery makes the condition of resource stocks threatened. This study aims to determine the parameter aspects of the population of several types of grouper fish in Labuan Bajo waters. The types of grouper studied included Plectropomus leopardus, P. maculatus, P. oligacanthus, and Variola albimarginata. Data collection was carried out by enumerators from April to August 2019 which included the daily data on the length and weight distribution of groupers. Length-frequency distribution data is analyzed by estimating fish population parameters using the Electronic Length Frequency Analysis (ELEFAN I) program which is packaged in the FAO-ICLARM Stock Assessment Tool II (FiSAT II) software. The results of the analysis showed the equation of growth parameters for Von Bartalanffy for P. leopardus is Lt = 89.06(1-e−0.24(t+0.52)); P. maculatus is Lt = 76(1-e−0.54(t+0.23)); P. oligacanthus is Lt = 72.32(1-e−0.66(t+0.19)); and V. albimarginata is Lt = 45(1-e−0.51(t+0.29)). The length at first birth of each species is Lt=0 P. leopardus = 10.45 cm, Lt=0 P. maculatus = 8.88 cm, Lt=0 P. oligacanthus = 8.52 cm, and Lt=0 V. albimarginata = 6.19 cm. Meanwhile, the exploitation rate (E) of P. leopardus, P. maculatus, P. oligacanthus, and V. albimarginata were 0.81; 0.53; 0.45; and 0.70.