Kenya is taking big steps to improve the fishing industry. "Our government is making great efforts to improve the fisheries sector to boost to our economy," the marine and coastal fisheries principal officer John Wanyoike said yesterday.

The world is celebrating the World Fisheries day today. Fisheries Ministry and Kenya Marine and Fisheries Research institute said the government intends to bolster the fishing industry to make it sustainable and spur the country's economic growth.

"Fishermen live in abject poverty. The government is working to help them with fishing gear, training them on modern fishing methods and provide them with credit facilities to buy bigger boats," said Wanyoike.

He said Kenya wants to take advantage of the 350 nautical miles of the exclusive economic zone in the Indian Ocean given by the United Nations.

"Our fishermen have been engaging in fishing near the shores. We want to exploit the additional 150 nautical miles which was granted by the UN," said Wanyoike.

KEMFRI said the Kenyan government is negotiated with the Belgium government to get a donation of a research vessel to determine the fish population in the Kenyan waters.