The Department of Fisheries in Nakuru County has declared fish from Lake Naivasha safe and fit for human consumption.

The department has, however, warned against the consumption of fish from the nearby Lake Nakuru, noting that the water body was highly contaminated by waste and other pollutants.

This came as fishermen and traders from Naivasha moved in to restock the lake with a new breed of Tilapia to address the current drop in catches brought about by illegal fishing.

In the last couple of months, there has been concern over the quality of fish from the two water bodies, with allegations that the catch from Nakuru had high levels of metal.

According to the Director of Fisheries in Nakuru County, Raymond Mwangata, tests conducted on fish from Naivasha had found them to be safe, unlike those from Nakuru.

Speaking during the restocking exercise in Lake Naivasha, he noted that those fishing in Nakuru were doing so illegally, as this was a national park and out of bounds to fishermen.

“We can confirm that fish from Naivasha are safe for human consumption, but the catch from Nakuru is not fit for use by the public,” he warned.

He lauded the fishermen for contributing to restocking the lake, which in the past had faced tens of challenges, including over-fishing, use of undersized nets, and poaching.

“We have seen fish catch in Naivasha fluctuate mainly the popular Tilapia species due to overfishing, and we welcome the restocking by the fishermen and traders,” he said.

On her part, Grace Nyambura, who is in charge of patrols in the lake, said that they had introduced a new breed of tilapia fish which was more productive.

She lauded the Coast Guards, the Kenya Fisheries Services, and KEMFRI for supporting the fishermen in the exercise amid a drop in fish catch.

“The fishermen and traders contributed over Sh0.7m towards restocking the lake with 200,000 fingerlings, and we expect to reap in the next three months,” she said.

Nyambura, at the same time, challenged the national government to support  the fisheries sector in Naivasha as was the case in Lake Victoria.

The chairman of Karagita landing beach, Jeremiah Mutiso, attributed the high pressure on the fisheries sector to the over 300 boats in the lake.

“Since the Coast Guard moved in, we have seen cases of illegal fishing come down, and the restocking is part of increasing production in the lake in the coming months,” he said.