48 MARCH 2017 • WORLD AQUACULTURE • WWW.WAS.ORG salinities and pronounced temperature fluctuations (Mwaluma 2003, Mirera and Ngugi 2009, Mirera 2011a). History of Milkfish Farming in Kenya In the 1980s, milkfish was considered a byproduct of prawn farming (Mirera 2007a). However, in the recent past it has been promoted as a key culture species along the coast of Kenya with some level of success because of its faster growth, tolerance to high fluctuations in salinity and temperature and availability of wild seed (Mirera 2011a). Initial observations of the ability of milkfish to withstand high salinity and temperatures fluctuations were made in 2000 (Mwaluma 2003). Community and villagebased milkfish farming was initiated about two decades ago with a focus in three of the five coastal counties (Kwale, Mombasa and Kilifi). To date milkfish farming has only expanded in the original counties while the other two coastal counties (Tana River and Lamu) have remained without milkfish farming despite the existing potential. Farming is spearheaded by organized community groups. These groups also participate in other activities such as Mariculture development in Kenya started about three decades ago when initial attempts were made, including a survey to identify suitable areas for shrimp farming, with a focus on suitability of soils and tidal range (Yap and Landoy 1986). This led to the development of commercial mariculture in the 1980s, funded by the FAO, to culture prawns at Ngomeni, in northern Kenya, with a total estimated area of 60 ha (UNEP 1998, Rönnbäck et al. 2002). Target species were Indian white prawn Penaeus indicus and tiger prawn Penaeus monodon. However, other species (e.g. rabbitfish, mullet and milkfish) that co-occurred in culture ponds informed the choice of species for the current interventions (Sivalingam 1981, Mirera 2007a). Prawn culture flourished but was not able to sustain itself at the end of the FAO project period. Since the initial FAO interventions, mariculture has evolved into farming of several marine species by organized community groups with limited production for local market (Shimpton and Hecht 2007). One of the candidate culture species along the coast of Kenya is milkfish Chanos chanos, which has been farmed since 2005 in intertidal earthen ponds that are characterised by high Dynamics of Milkfish Farming in Kenya David O. Mirera Mariculture in Kenya has evolved into farming of several marine species by organized community groups with limited production for local market. Milkfish has been promoted as a key culture species along the coast of Kenya with some level of success because of its faster growth, tolerance to high fluctuations in salinity and temperature and availability of wild seed. FIGURE 1. Integrating mangrove conservation with milkfish culture. FIGURE 2. Earthen ponds for milkfish constructed through the support of KCDP. FIGURE 3. Using a push net to capture wild milkfish fry from a mangrove channel.
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