An invasive water hyacinth in Kenya’s Lake Naivasha has devastated fishing communities, cutting daily catches by 83%. While startups like HyaPak are converting the plant into biodegradable packaging, the rapid spread continues to cause massive economic losses across Kenya’s water-dependent sectors.
- Water hyacinth invasion severely impacts fishing
- Fish catch dropped from 90kg to 10-15kg per day
- Fishermen’s daily earnings plummeted from $210 to $35
- Plant introduced in 1980s as ornamental species
Impact & Scale:
- Causes annual losses of $150-350M in Kenya’s fishing, transport & tourism
- Blocks sunlight and airflow, harming aquatic life
- Rapid growth makes manual removal ineffective
- Affects multiple Kenyan lakes including Lake Victoria
Reference:The hindu
