Inshore & Inland Survey Fleet
Alongside its ocean-going flagship RV Mtafiti and the Lake Victoria research vessel RV Uvumbuzi, KMFRI operates a fleet of smaller motorized survey craft based at its research centres and field stations. These boats carry scientists into the shallow, nearshore and inland waters — coral lagoons, mangrove creeks, estuaries, dams, rivers and lakes — that larger vessels cannot reach.
They are the workhorses behind KMFRI’s routine fisheries monitoring, limnological sampling and habitat mapping, supporting the Institute’s science along the Kenyan coast and across the Lake Victoria and Rift Valley basins.
Station Deployment
Survey craft are stationed across KMFRI’s national network of marine and freshwater research centres, each working the waters around it.
Western Indian Ocean coast & inshore reefs
South-coast reefs & channel surveys
Mangrove creeks & blue-carbon sites
Lake Victoria & the Winam Gulf
Sondu River & aquaculture trials
Highland rivers & lakes
Aquaculture, dams & rivers
Lake Turkana fisheries surveys
Typical Vessel Configuration
KMFRI’s station craft are not a single class of boat — size and fit-out vary with the station and the survey. The table below describes the configuration typical of the fleet.
| Feature | Typical specification |
|---|---|
| Vessel type | Small open and cabin survey craft |
| Hull material | GRP (fibreglass) and marine-grade aluminium |
| Propulsion | Outboard petrol / diesel engines |
| Navigation | Handheld GPS units and chart plotters |
| Acoustic instrumentation | Portable echo-sounders for depth profiling |
| Sampling gear | Nets, water/sediment samplers and field kits |
| Complement | Coxswain, crew and a small survey team |
| Operating waters | Inshore coastal waters, estuaries, lakes & rivers |
Survey Applications
Frame Surveys
Periodic frame surveys of fishing craft, gear and landing sites along the coast and on inland lakes to map fishing effort and inform stock assessment.
Catch Assessment
Routine catch assessment sampling at landing sites to record species composition, catch rates and biological measurements.
Habitat & Coastal Mapping
Mapping of mangroves, seagrass beds, coral reefs and shorelines using GPS transect surveys to track habitat condition and change.
Water & Sediment Sampling
Grab sampling of water and sediments for physico-chemical analysis, pollutant monitoring and biological assessment.
Limnological Monitoring
Profiling temperature, oxygen, nutrients and plankton on lakes and dams to monitor freshwater health and productivity.
Aquaculture Support
Servicing cage and pond trials, fingerling distribution and fish-health checks at the Institute’s aquaculture stations.
Operations & Safety
Vessel Operations
Each craft is run by trained coxswains and technical crew, with survey scheduling coordinated from the host research centre.
Maintenance & Servicing
KMFRI’s maritime services and marine-engineering teams handle slipping, engine servicing and seaworthiness checks to keep the fleet survey-ready.
Safety & Compliance
Crews follow standard sea-safety practice — life jackets, VHF radios and float plans — on every coastal and inland deployment.