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Lake Turkana: First comprehensive survey in 50 years highlights key findings
Located in the remote northern region of Kenya, Lake Turkana stands as Africa’s fourth-largest lake and the largest permanent desert lake in the world. This is renowned for its unique biodiversity and cultural significance. However, despite its unique characteristics, the lake remains one of the least studied and understood water bodies in Africa.
Lying in a hot, arid, and remote region, Lake Turkana provides resources for communities on the lakeshore and surrounding areas. The estimated population of the Turkana region is approximately 1 million people, whose livelihoods are based on pastoralism, fishing, and, to a lesser extent, crop farming. However, its semi-saline waters, driven by high evaporation rates and fluctuating lake levels of up to 8 meters per decade, have historically hindered sustainable development initiatives. Several past attempts to commercialize the fishery have largely failed, mainly due to a lack of understanding of the volatile conditions of this capricious lake. Overcoming these challenges requires ingenuity and constant adaptability.
In November 2023, a new 10-year project, funded by the Dutch Government and implemented by and UNESCO, in collaboration with Turkana and Marsabit counties and the State Department of Blue Economy and Fisheries in Kenya, commenced with an overarching goal to sustainably unlock the economic potential of Lake Turkana. The aim of the multi-year investment is to enhance the food security and economic well-being of the vulnerable populations around the lake in the face of climate change by adopting an integrated food systems approach to enhanced availability and access to safe and nutritious foods and promotion of healthy diets.
However, the potential of Lake Turkana's fishery resources remains largely untapped due to a lack of comprehensive understanding and the volatile nature of the lake. The last lake-wide comprehensive investigation, conducted by the British Overseas Development Administration, was 50 years ago, and since then, only a few geographically limited fishery surveys have been undertaken. Therefore, the project's first year has focused on establishing a comprehensive baseline study of the fishery. This includes a catch reporting system involving selected local fishers to gather data on fish catches across different lake zones. Additionally, two lake-wide acoustic surveys per year have been planned to estimate current fish biomass in the lake. These activities are coordinated by UNESCO and implemented by a team of researchers led by including KMFRI () and and Universities.
The first lake-wide survey took place over two weeks in May-June 2024. Preliminary findings from these acoustic surveys indicate a high abundance of fish across Lake Turkana, with notable concentrations in specific regions. The results show a substantial presence of both large and small pelagic species, particularly in the central and northern sectors of the lake. Of particular interest are small pelagic species, which are abundant and highly productive but currently underutilized.
The biggest potential, but also challenge, is to develop an offshore fishery for the small, highly productive pelagic species, similar to the other Great African lakes. These small species, fished by light attraction during the night and not easily overfished, now constitute more than 70% of the African inland fisheries catches. They are also the most nutritious and affordable and processed in an environmentally friendly way, as they are simply sundried. Further investigations are now planned, with a repetition of the lake-wide acoustic survey every six months for five years, the next one being in the November/December period to examine seasonal changes.
While the initial results are promising, the big challenge is how to unlock the potential in such a remote and constantly changing environment.
