Fisheries Recovery Confirmed

An independent stock assessment conducted by marine ecologists from the Kenya Marine and Fisheries Research Institute (KMFRI) in late 2025 has confirmed meaningful ecological recovery inside the community-managed fishing zones established around Manda Island.

Reef fish biomass across the three formally closed zones has increased by an estimated 34 percent relative to 2022 baseline surveys. Octopus catch-per-unit-effort — a key indicator of population health — has more than doubled in areas where seasonal closures were observed consistently, compared to a 6 percent increase in adjacent unmanaged areas over the same period.

The results validate the community-led enforcement model the project has supported since 2022, in which locally recruited fisheries scouts conduct weekly patrols and record infractions using a simple mobile data platform. Compliance with seasonal closures reached 91 percent in 2025, up from 67 percent in the first year of operation.

Higher fish densities inside the closed zones are producing a measurable spillover effect into adjacent fishing grounds, boosting yields for fishers working outside the protected areas. Community monitoring data shows average daily catch weights for participating households up by approximately 22 percent year-on-year.

The assessment results will feed into a formal application to the Kenya Fisheries Service for recognition of the managed zones under the country's Beach Management Unit framework — a status that would give the community governance structures legal standing for the first time. Results will be published in full in a forthcoming report available on this site.