ARTICLE
Shrimp Multipath;
providing a pathogen safeguard to Kenya’s emerging integrated mangrove conservation and aquaculture enterprises In March 2019, Kenya produced its first ever crop of farmed shrimp from hatchery reared animals grown in community-based, integrated By: Iain Olivier, Melony Sellars and Nigel Preston *
mangrove conservation and aquaculture systems (IMAS).
T
his success was the result of a partnership including Mtoni Ltd, Kenya’s only commercial shrimp hatchery, several Kenyan communitybased IMAS enterprises, the Australian Commonwealth and Scientific Industry and Research Organisation (CSIRO), Kenya Marine and Fisheries Research Institute (KMFRI) and the Kenyan Department of Fisheries, with support from the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT). The first harvest of a mixed crop of Penaeus monodon and Fenneropenaeus indicus provided a significant source of income to the Mtepeni Community Mangrove Forest Conservation Group. This included the resources required to support community activities in mangrove conservation and restoration. The success of this project has provided the incentive for Mtoni Ltd to progressively increase the number of Kenyan coastal communities with access to the knowledge and technology to enable them to develop their own IMAS. These coastal communities have all been committed to mangrove conservation activities for the past decade or more. However, mangrove
16 Âť
Hatchery seedstock.
conservation alone does not provide adequate levels of resources to offset the loss of community income from traditional fishing activities that have been so severely impacted by overfishing in these coastal areas. Faced with this challenge, these communities are now seeking to integrate man-
grove conservation with sustainable shrimp aquaculture. The communities are acutely aware that poorly managed aquaculture enterprises can have negative impacts on mangroves and other marine ecosystems. Accordingly, they are committed to the application of IMAS knowledge and technology.
