Cage culture has presented itself as a new socioeconomic frontier with good prospects for income from Lake Victoria, besides conserving declining wild fish stocks. The exponential growth in cage fish farming has been inspired by the dramatic decline in natural fish stocks, caused by overfishing and other ecosystem stressors and potentiated by increasing demand for fish protein because of rapid human population growth and awareness of benefits of eating fish. When sustainably managed, cage technology has the potential to provide significant contribution to national fish production, increased job opportunities, enhanced food security and incomes for both rural and urban dwellers considering the blue economy.

The FWS Directorate conducts routine socio ecological assessment of fish cage farms in Lake Victoria to determine the spatial distribution, number of cage units, stocking density and general husbandry as well as socioeconomic impacts. Additionally, with support from Gatsby Africa, The Directorate is undertaking a zoning, spatial planning and establishing the carrying capacity for cage culture in Lake Victoria Kenya, to enhance fish production and minimize resource use conflicts.