Artisanal fishing supports breeding of malaria mosquitoes in Western Kenya

Everyday hundreds of people, mainly men, set out to take part in a vibrant artisanal capture fishing (ACF) industry on Lake Victoria. It is not known whether actions of artisanal fishers, in their unrelenting quest for existence, surpass ecosystems’ sustainability thresholds with potentially negative repercussions on human health with respect to malaria transmission potential. This article sought to fill this information gap.

This study used an ecosystem approach to find out how ACF processes facilitate the breeding of mosquitoes. The observational study adopted a cross-sectional design and was carried out on Mageta Island situated inside Lake Victoria in western Kenya.

Of the 87 mosquito larval habitats identified 27 (31%) were created through ACF activities. The ACF-related habitats, hereafter collectively referred to as ‘fishing habitats’, included fishing boats (24), trenches (1) and fish bait mines (2). About half (48%) of Anopheles larvae were recovered from fishing habitats. The mean larval density in the fishing habitats (35.7 ± 1.15) was double that in non-fishing habitats (17.4 ± 0.539). Despite being the most common ‘non-fishing habitat’ type (N = 32), the mean number of Anopheles larvae present in rock pools (30.81 ± 10.54) was significantly less than those found inside fishing boats (N = 24; 40.08 ± 10.16). Overall, man-made habitats and those used to support livelihoods contained significantly more Anopheles larvae.