Status of fish health management and biosecurity measures in fish farms, cages and hatcheries in Western Kenya

Background Aquaculture is one of the critical sectors contributing to food and nutrition security, income and employment opportunities to millions of people, and is currently the fastest growing food-producing sector globally. With the global increase in aquaculture production, focus on biosecurity and fish health management is becoming increasingly important to address the risks and impacts of aquatic diseases. Within the framework of adaptive research, this study aimed at assessing the levels of awareness and preparedness of fish farmers in Western Kenya to meet fish health management and biosecurity requirements as important parameters determining the success of their farming activities. Methods A total of 504 fish farmers were interviewed using a pre-tested questionnaire generated by a computer-aided personal interview (CAPI). The data collected was summarized using descriptive statistics using SPSS version 25. The homogeneity of frequency data of all the parameters between the three counties was tested using a non-parametric Pearson Chi-Square test at α = 0.05. Results The key findings were that 76.1% of the fish farmers reported mortalities in their farms, with 2.3% reporting mortalities above 50% of the stocked fish, but with a majority (85.5%) reporting loss of up to 10%. In extrapolation, the total loss from the farms correlates with stagnation in aquaculture production in Kenya. Conclusions This study concludes that there is a paucity of knowledge on fish health management systems and biosecurity measures which presents a serious threat to aquaculture production in the studied counties and poses a great risk to trans-boundary live fish trade between Kenya and her neighbouring countries. Although fish farming is a promising area, it has had so many challenges among them high mortality rates. In China and other Asian countries, which are the world leaders in aquaculture production, they are making headway in fish health management and biosecurity. This study recommends the development of a coordinated awareness campaigns on fish health management and biosecurity measures to fish farmers in Kenya.