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Abstract

Lake Naivasha is the second largest freshwater lake in Kenya, located in the floor of the Eastern arm of the Kenyan Great Rift Valley and supports a large biodiversity of macrophytes, aquatic birds and exotic fish species.Consequently, the lake is recognized for tourism, fishing, water provision, and has been designated as a Ramsar site.This paper followed the use of unpublished and published data as the key methodological design.The aim of this paper was to undertake a comprehensive review of the changes of Lake Naivasha fisheries by focusing on the causes, exploitation trends, and conservation measures.The limnological and fishery status of Lake Naivasha have received a significant attention due to the need for better management practices to sustain its ecological and economic values.The fishery of L. Naivasha has been dominated by different species with the current catch contribution consisting mainly of common carp, Cyprinus carpio, Nile tilapia, Oreochromis niloticus, blue-spotted tilapia, O. leucostictus and African catfish, Clarias gariepinus.The previous dwindling trends observed in Lake Naivasha fisheries has been attributed to factors such as catchment degradation, pollution, excessive water abstraction for flower farming and domestic use, introduction of invasive plant and animal species, changing water quality attributed to increasing anthropogenic and climate change.There has been immense amount of efforts put by private and public institutions to arrest this problems affecting the lake towards management and conservation.In order for sustainable utilization, and exploitation of the lake resources, there is urgent need to consider a holistic ecosystem management approach within the lake's catchment area.