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Annual Stock Assessment β€” Q4 2024

Kenya Fisheries Status Dashboards

Stock status, catch trends, and effort indicators across 18 monitored marine and freshwater fisheries β€” updated after each annual KMFRI stock assessment cycle.

Last updated: December 2024  Β·  Next update: Q4 2025  Β·  Source: KMFRI Catch Assessment Programme
9
Healthy
5
Caution
1
Critical
3
Recovering
18
Total monitored
Stock Status β€” 2024

All 18 monitored Kenya fisheries

Download Data
Healthy β€” within sustainable limits
Caution β€” approaching limit reference point
Critical β€” below limit reference point
Recovering β€” improving under management
Unknown β€” insufficient data
Fishery
Ecosystem
Est. Catch (t)
Trend
5-yr trend
Status 2024
Lake Victoria β€” Nile Tilapia
Oreochromis niloticus Β· Kenyan waters
Freshwater
48,200
↑ +6.2%
Healthy
Lake Victoria β€” Nile Perch
Lates niloticus Β· Kenyan waters
Freshwater
32,800
↑ +3.1%
Healthy
Lake Victoria β€” Dagaa
Rastrineobola argentea Β· Kenyan waters
Freshwater
150,400
↓ βˆ’2.4%
Caution
Lake Turkana β€” Nile Tilapia
Oreochromis niloticus Β· Turkana
Freshwater
18,600
↑ +1.8%
Healthy
Lake Baringo β€” Tilapia
Oreochromis niloticus & O. leucostictus
Freshwater
4,100
↑ +4.5%
Recovering
Lake Naivasha β€” Bass & Tilapia
Micropterus salmoides & Oreochromis
Freshwater
2,800
β†’ 0.0%
Unknown
Indian Ocean β€” Demersal Fishery
Mixed demersal species Β· Kenya EEZ 0–200m
Marine
12,300
↓ βˆ’5.1%
Caution
Kenya Coast β€” Small Pelagics
Sardinella spp., Decapterus spp.
Marine
8,700
↑ +2.2%
Healthy
Kenya EEZ β€” Large Pelagics (Tuna)
Thunnus spp. Β· Xiphias gladius
Marine
3,200
β†’ +0.5%
Unknown
Coastal β€” Octopus Fishery
Octopus cyanea Β· artisanal coast
Marine
2,100
↑ +8.3%
Recovering
Coastal β€” Reef Fish
Mixed reef species Β· coral reef zone
Marine
4,800
↓ βˆ’3.8%
Caution
Coastal β€” Deep-Sea Demersal
Mixed species Β· 200–500m depth
Marine
1,400
↓ βˆ’12.4%
Critical
Shimoni β€” Prawn Fishery
Penaeus indicus Β· Metapenaeus monoceros
Marine
680
↑ +5.2%
Recovering
Kenya Coast β€” Sea Cucumber
Holothuria spp. Β· artisanal & mariculture
Marine
310
↓ βˆ’4.2%
Caution
Lamu Coast β€” Artisanal Mixed
Mixed finfish Β· dhow fishery
Marine
3,900
↑ +1.4%
Healthy
Mombasa Marine Park β€” Reef Fish
Protected area Β· visual census monitoring
Marine
β€”
↑ +3.7%
Healthy
Source: KMFRI Annual Stock Assessment 2024. Catch estimates in metric tonnes. Trend = year-on-year change. 5-yr trend = 2020–2024 direction. Download Full Dataset
Trend Analysis

Catch trends & effort indicators

Seven-year time series for Kenya's most economically significant fisheries β€” drawn from KMFRI's annual catch assessment programme and RV Mtafiti survey cruises.

Lake Victoria β€” Total Annual Catch
Nile tilapia Β· Nile perch Β· Dagaa Β· Kenya waters Β· 2018–2024
Q4 2024
Nile Tilapia Catch ('000 tonnes)
Nile Perch Catch ('000 tonnes)

Source: KMFRI Annual Frame Survey β€” 47 landing beaches, Kenya waters. Catch figures in metric tonnes Γ— 1,000. Updated Q4 annually.

Download Dataset β€” DOI: 10.5281/kmfri.2024.lv01 β†’
Catch Per Unit Effort β€” Key Fisheries
CPUE kg/boat/day Β· most recent assessment year
2024
LV Nile Tilapia
42.6 kg/boat/day
β–² +6.2% vs 2023
LV Nile Perch
38.1 kg/boat/day
β–² +3.1% vs 2023
Indian Ocean Demersal
18.4 kg/boat/day
β–Ό βˆ’5.1% vs 2023
Coastal Octopus
6.8 kg/boat/day
β–² +8.3% vs 2023
Lake Turkana Tilapia
29.3 kg/boat/day
β–² +1.8% vs 2023
Deep-Sea Demersal
5.2 kg/hook/hr
β–Ό βˆ’12.4% vs 2023
Download CPUE Dataset β†’
Kenya Fisheries Health β€” 2024 Overview
18 monitored stocks Β· stock status distribution
Status Distribution β€” 18 Stocks
18 STOCKS
Healthy 9  (50%)
Caution 5  (28%)
Critical 1  (6%)
Recovering 3  (17%)
Year-on-Year Change β€” Status Categories
Healthy stocks
2023: 8 β†’ 2024: 9+1
Caution stocks
2023: 5 β†’ 2024: 5nc
Critical stocks
2023: 2 β†’ 2024: 1βˆ’1
Recovering stocks
2023: 3 β†’ 2024: 3nc
Read Full Assessment Report 2024 β†’
Indian Ocean Demersal Fishery
CPUE Β· effort (boat-days) Β· 2018–2024
Caution
CPUE (kg / boat-day) β€” declining trend indicates pressure

Declining CPUE indicates increasing effort relative to available stock. KMFRI recommends precautionary catch limits and enhanced monitoring pending formal stock assessment in 2025.

Reference Points β€” 2024
Current CPUE (2024) 18.4 kg/boat/day
Target CPUE (FMSY) 24.0 kg/boat/day
Limit reference point 14.0 kg/boat/day
Distance from limit 4.4 kg above limit
Download Demersal Assessment Data β†’
Assessment Methodology

How KMFRI measures Kenya's fisheries

Full Assessment Reports
Frame Surveys

Annual enumeration of active fishing units β€” boats, gear, and fishers β€” at 47 landing beaches on Lake Victoria and 28 coastal landing sites. The census baseline for catch expansion and CPUE calculation.

Catch Assessment Surveys

Monthly sampling of catch composition, weight, and price at representative landing sites. Used to estimate total removals by species, gear type, and area β€” the primary source of annual catch statistics.

Trawl & Acoustic Surveys

Research vessel surveys using standardised demersal trawl stations (Indian Ocean) and hydroacoustic transects (Lake Victoria) to independently estimate stock biomass and spatial distribution, independent of fishing effort.

Reference Point Framework

KMFRI applies FAO and ICES limit and target reference points (LRP/TRP) based on biomass at maximum sustainable yield (BMSY) and fishing mortality (FMSY). Status classifications follow the Kobe Plot convention.

Access the underlying data

All KMFRI stock assessment data is available for download in CSV and Excel formats under CC BY 4.0. Assessment reports are open-access in the KMFRI publications database.

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