Director Ocean Coastal Systems & Blue Economy Marine Zooplankton & Fish Larvae Ecology Fish Larvae Systematics • Marine Cage Culture • Blue Economy Current Role Director – Ocean Coastal Systems and Blue Economy, KMFRI Research coordination – Fisheries & Oceanography and Hydrography Programmes Academic Qualifications PhD – Zoology (Ecology) MSc – Hydrobiology Research Location & Specialization KMFRI Mombasa Department: Directorate of Oceans and Coastal Systems / Aquaculture Specialization: Fish Larvae & Zooplankton Ecologist and Taxonomist (Systematics) | Leadership Focus: Advancing marine research through fish larvae ecology and taxonomy, promoting sustainable mariculture innovations, and strengthening Kenya's blue economy through policy alignment and institutional capacity building. Dr. James Mwaluma is the Director, Ocean Coastal Systems and Blue Economy at the Kenya Marine and Fisheries Research Institute (KMFRI). He has a scientific background in research spanning different spheres with specific research interest in marine zooplankton and fish larvae. He has participated in numerous multidisciplinary research within the institute and other institutions including universities, national and international research institutions through development of joint research initiatives and partnerships to enhance uptake of research activities on the Kenyan coast. Administratively, Dr. Mwaluma is involved in the implementation of the institute's management and policy documents including terms and conditions of service, scheme of service, research policy, intellectual property rights, ICT policy, and interprets government guidelines and circulars through consultations to align the institute's policies to national and international standards. Other administrative duties include research coordination in Directorates of Coastal and Ocean Systems which includes Fisheries & Oceanology & Hydrography programmes. He is responsible for guiding research activities to ensure optimum use of the institute's human and infrastructure capacity. Currently, Dr. Mwaluma is working on identification of fish larvae from coastal and offshore waters from the projects he is involved in. In other programmes, he is involved in cage culture of rabbitfish and marine tilapia in Kilifi and Kwale, as well as promotion and adoption of new crab cages for fattening mud crabs with Community-Based Organizations (CBOs) along the coast of Kenya. Principal Investigator – Key Research Projects Larval Fish Production & Dispersal – Critical Habitats of Coastal East Africa (WIOMSA) Marine Cage Culture Systems – Rabbitfish & Tilapia (NRF) 1st Marine Hatchery in Shimoni (NRF) Fish Juvenile Recruitment – Coastal Habitats of Western Indian Ocean Manual for Identification of Off-shore Fish Larvae – Western Indian Ocean Research Interests & Specializations
Governance & Policy Implementation Policy Documents Implementation – Terms and conditions of service, scheme of service, research policy, intellectual property rights, ICT policy, and government guidelines/circulars interpretation. Research Coordination – Guiding research activities across Fisheries and Oceanography & Hydrography Programmes to optimize human and infrastructure capacity. International Partnerships – Collaborative research initiatives with universities, national and international research institutions to enhance research uptake along the Kenyan coast. Seminal Publications – Assemblage structure and distribution of larval fish on the North Kenyan Banks (Oceans and Coastal Sciences 2021); Growth and survival of mud crab in Mida creek mangroves (AHEM 2021); First documented evidence of microplastics ingestion by zooplankton in Kenya's marine environment (African Journal of Marine Sciences 2018). Book & Policy Contributions – Lead author/contributor to State of Aquaculture in Kenya reports (2017, 2020, 2021); Mud crab farming policy brief; Marine and coastal aquaculture production status; KCDP lessons learned (in press); National Marine Ecosystem Diagnostic Analysis (MEDA) – UNDP/GEF ASCLME Project. Dr. James Mwaluma's leadership as Director of Ocean Coastal Systems and Blue Economy at KMFRI brings exceptional expertise in fish larvae ecology, mariculture innovation, and policy implementation – strengthening the Institute's capacity to advance blue economy research, promote sustainable coastal aquaculture, and align Kenya's marine science with national and international standards. |