Allan Ochieng expressed horror at the disaster that befell the fish farmers of Lake Victoria in the latter portion of last year.
Thousands of fish perished when Africa's biggest lake underwent a normal and repetitive event called upwelling.
When deep and surface waters mix, the resulting rapid drop in the concentration of dissolved oxygen in the water leads to the death of fish.
Many of the farmers are of the opinion that the heightened growth of algae, or contamination could have been a factor.
Mr Ochieng experienced a heavy loss of all 120,000 of his tilapia, with half being close to being harvested. Similarly, other agriculturists had similar misfortunes.
The entrepreneur, in partnership with three others, has invested $285,000 (£224,000) in the purchase of 24 cages close to Ogal beach on the Kenyan shoreline, as well as the baby tilapia, feed and labour.
Mr Ochieng, who is determined to persist, states that although cage fish farming involves significant risks, it has the capacity to yield considerable profits.
Given its moniker, cage aquaculture involves the rearing of fish in a contained structure of nets. This style of fish production has quickly become a mainstay of the food industry in sub-Saharan Africa as wild fish populations dwindle and the need for fish grows.
A study published in Nature Food demonstrated that the amount of cages increased from nine in 2006 to over 20,000 by 2019.
Between 2017 and 2021, Gatsby Africa's report indicated a threefold increase in the industry's size in East Africa.
Yalelo Zambia is the most abundant producer of tilapia in Sub-Saharan Africa, yielding 25,000 tonnes of fish combined from its operations on Lake Kariba in Zambia and the Ugandan portion of Lake Victoria.
Ulric Daniel, the CEO of the business, states that it is rapidly becoming more technologically advanced.
The chief executive informed the BBC that, due to the fact that the product cannot be seen when it is in the water, they need to rely heavily on technology to accurately determine what is going on beneath the surface. He also noted that cage fish farming has far more data than the poultry industry.
He argues that utilizing all the data may help reduce the severity of farming catastrophes such as last year's.
Mr. Daniel states that, as upwelling can occur abruptly, measurements of dissolved oxygen, pH values and the ammonia content of the water are made on a daily basis to anticipate its onset.
Once we detect early indications of upwelling, we can lower the amount of fish in a cage to stop death.
Victory Farms, the largest caged fish producer in Kenya, is also an accumulator of a great deal of data.
Chief executive Joseph Rehmann states that in order to evaluate underwater activity and biology, they measure at various depths and spots. Additionally, they investigate algae in the lake as a signal for upwelling, and if there is a fall in dissolved oxygen levels, they look into the level of algae accumulation on the nets of the cages and the current of the water.
With a history of seven years of information, we are typically able to ascertain whether there is a high, medium or low chance of upwelling. If the potential is high, we alter stocking quantities, decrease feeding, and reduce or cease fish handling, both to minimise stress.
Victory Farms has developed technology that helps reduce losses during transportation of eggs to the hatchery.
Its mobile incubation system maintains the eggs in continuous motion in an environment enriched with oxygen.
A project was initiated to build brood stock ponds on plots in the vicinity, resulting in the emergence of the technology.
Participants receive payment for their harvested fish eggs, which are then taken to Victory Farms' ponds.
The increasing number of small-holder farmers who have gone into cage fish farming are unable to access these kinds of innovations.
"According to Dave Okech, chairperson of the Cage Fish Farmers Association Kenya, although it is vital to measure oxygen levels in cages, many small holders are unable to as the necessary equipment costs in excess of a thousand dollars."
Mr Okech noted that there is a lack of understanding among many of the newer farmers, leading to some cages being placed in too shallow waters, potentially polluting the water and leading to higher mortality due to upwelling.
Mr Okech notes that some businesspersons resort to utilizing substandard feed that drops to the bottom, which is adverse to the ecosystem and leads to losses since tilapia depend on pellets that stay on the surface.
He believes that if more accurate feeding methods were employed, it would result in healthier fish and help farmers to save money.
AquaRech, the company he is associated with, is in the process of constructing a system that is designed to keep tabs on the water temperature inside cages.
He asserts that this is an essential piece of information, because the colder the temperatures are, the more difficult it is for tilapia to process their food.
With that data, his system can offer farmers precise guidance on the amount of feed to be used.
The Kenyan entrepreneur emphasizes that innovations of this type are essential in order to make the sector more professional, efficient, and rewarding for those who participate.
Businesses are incorporating more technology into their operations. Advances in technology are enabling companies to become more efficient and productive. In addition, technology is enabling businesses to provide better customer service and enhance communication within the organization. The use of technology is becoming increasingly essential for businesses to remain competitive.
Nevertheless, although some have apprehensions about the quickly expanding business, there is uneasiness around the large quantity of unconsumed feed and the excrement of the fish that accumulates beneath the tanks, as well as its effect on the quality of the water.
Chrisphine Nyamweya, a research scientist at the Kenya Marine and Fisheries Research Institute, emphasises the need for prudent fish cage placement in sufficiently deep waters with adequate water flow, in view of the presence of such environmental problems.
Joe Rehmann of Victory Farms states that testing of water conditions is something conducted on a regular basis by both his firm and government representatives.
He states that up to this point, they have not experienced any problems in regards to the maximum number of fish that can be held.
He emphasizes that the population of wild fish in Lake Victoria has been reduced due to overfishing.
If Victory Farms currently possess 3,000 tons of biomass, we are contributing to the nutrient concentration, however the amount is still beneath the carrying capacity before human-induced overfishing reduced the lake's fish stock.
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