Kenya's Local Fishing Community Sees Less Fish
2022-07-14
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1On Kenya's southern coast, an estimated 1,500 people depend on the sea to make a living.
2But local fishers are seeing less of one especially valuable fish, the tuna.
3Local weather conditions usually mean there is a lot of tuna.
4The fish earns them a good amount of money at local markets.
5Kenyan fisher Chapoka Miongo said there are several reasons that he and others are finding less tuna.
6One is the presence of large foreign fishing ships in the area.
7Another reason is changes to local weather conditions caused by climate change.
8Kassim Abdalla Zingizi is a fisher from the town of Vanga.
9Zingizi said most small fishing businesses lack the skills, knowledge, and financial support to compete with larger foreign fishing boats.
10The foreign boats are mostly from Europe and Asia.
11They use satellite technology to follow schools of tuna all over the Indian Ocean.
12Another reason for the decrease in tuna is climate change.
13Dennis Oigara is from the Kenya Fisheries Service.
14Oigara said the Kenyan government is putting an economic strategy into effect that will deal with the effects of climate change on the means of living for those on the coast.
15It will also increase the skills among artisanal fishers and further sustainable fishing methods.
16Financial support for large fisheries has long been blamed for destructive fishing practices.
17The World Trade Organization has discussed the issue but there has been no resolution.
18The Indian Ocean Tuna Commission is responsible for the area's tuna laws.
19In 2018 and 2020, the amount of tuna caught went over catch limits.
20The tuna commission was criticized for not enforcing measures to help protect several kinds of tuna from overfishing.
21However, at its meeting earlier this year, the commission passed a resolution to study the effects of climate change on tuna fish stocks in the area.
22It was called one of the meeting's successes.
23It is the second regional fisheries management organization to enforce a resolution on climate change.
24The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change says differences in the climate have led to reduced amounts of sea life and damage to coral.
25It also said climatic differences have led to an increased risk of conflict over decreasing resources.
26Kenyan fishing communities are already feeling these effects.
27Mazera Mgala started fishing in 1975.
28The experienced fisher said, "Back in the day I would start fishing in the early morning and three to four hours later I would be through as I had caught enough fish."
29"Nowadays," Mgala added, "I stay longer at sea and still catch less."
30I'm Gregory Stachel.
1On Kenya's southern coast, an estimated 1,500 people depend on the sea to make a living. But local fishers are seeing less of one especially valuable fish, the tuna. 2Local weather conditions usually mean there is a lot of tuna. The fish earns them a good amount of money at local markets. 3Kenyan fisher Chapoka Miongo said there are several reasons that he and others are finding less tuna. One is the presence of large foreign fishing ships in the area. Another reason is changes to local weather conditions caused by climate change. 4Kassim Abdalla Zingizi is a fisher from the town of Vanga. Zingizi said most small fishing businesses lack the skills, knowledge, and financial support to compete with larger foreign fishing boats. The foreign boats are mostly from Europe and Asia. They use satellite technology to follow schools of tuna all over the Indian Ocean. 5Another reason for the decrease in tuna is climate change. 6Dennis Oigara is from the Kenya Fisheries Service. Oigara said the Kenyan government is putting an economic strategy into effect that will deal with the effects of climate change on the means of living for those on the coast. It will also increase the skills among artisanal fishers and further sustainable fishing methods. 7Financial support for large fisheries has long been blamed for destructive fishing practices. The World Trade Organization has discussed the issue but there has been no resolution. 8The Indian Ocean Tuna Commission is responsible for the area's tuna laws. In 2018 and 2020, the amount of tuna caught went over catch limits. The tuna commission was criticized for not enforcing measures to help protect several kinds of tuna from overfishing. 9However, at its meeting earlier this year, the commission passed a resolution to study the effects of climate change on tuna fish stocks in the area. It was called one of the meeting's successes. 10It is the second regional fisheries management organization to enforce a resolution on climate change. 11The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change says differences in the climate have led to reduced amounts of sea life and damage to coral. It also said climatic differences have led to an increased risk of conflict over decreasing resources. Kenyan fishing communities are already feeling these effects. 12Mazera Mgala started fishing in 1975. The experienced fisher said, "Back in the day I would start fishing in the early morning and three to four hours later I would be through as I had caught enough fish." 13"Nowadays," Mgala added, "I stay longer at sea and still catch less." 14I'm Gregory Stachel. 15Wanjohi Kabukuru reported this story for The Associated Press. Gregory Stachel adapted it for VOA Learning English. 16_______________________________________________________________________ 17Words in This Story 18opportunity - n. a chance to do something 19sustainable - adj. involving methods that do not completely use up or destroy natural resources 20secretary - n. a person in a club or other organization who is in charge of keeping letters and records 21coral - n. a hard material formed on the bottom of the sea by the skeletons of small creatures 22_____________________________________________________________________ 23What do you think of artisanal fishing? 24We want to hear from you. We have a new comment system. Here is how it works: 25Each time you return to comment on the Learning English site, you can use your account and see your comments and replies to them. Our comment policy is here.