BEACH MANAGEMENT UNITS IN LAKE VICTORIA

The fisheries resources in Lake Victoria are facing the challenges of poor management, which threaten their sustainability due to the use of destructive fishing gears such as dynamite, beach pollution, poison and small fishnets. Such situation has necessitated the use of alternative management approaches like Beach Management Units (BMUs), which promote more community involvement in the fisheries resources management. The objective of the study was to assess the effectiveness of BMUs strategy for managing the Lake Victoria fisheries resources. The emphasis was on how BMUs have managed to facilitate effective management of the lake environment. Findings from the study show that BMUs in the Lake Victoria basin have succeeded in reducing unsustainable practices and ensuring sustainable management of the fisheries resources. However, they need more moral and material support for enhanced sustainability. Target group include community members and stakeholders such as policy and decision makers, researchers, government and non-governmental institutions involved in the management of fisheries resources in the lake and aquatic environment in general.