Kenyan Delegation from the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries visit the Marine Institute

L-R Tommy Furey, Marine Institute; Pat McMullin, Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries; Sicily Kariuki, Parliamentary Committee on Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries; Dr Paul Connolly, Director of Fisheries Ecosystems Advisory Services, Marine Institute; Professor Micheni Ntiba, Secretary General of the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries; Anthony Njaramba, Minister of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries, Mombasa County; Ms Susan Imende, Director of Policy, Research and Regulation, Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries; Mr Simon Warui, Head of Division of Marine and Coastal Fisheries, Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries.On Wednesday 17 February, the Marine Institute hosted a delegation of officials from the Kenyan Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries. 

The delegation, headed by Micheni Ntiba, Secretary General of the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries was greeted by Dr Paul Connolly; Director of Fisheries Ecosystems Advisory Services who gave an overview of the work carried out at the Marine Institute and highlighted the extensive range of Marine Institute research vessel surveys that support fisheries management.

Tommy Furey, INFOMAR, demonstrated how we can map the seabed using the latest technology and also demonstrated the importance of topography, contouring, geology and seabed mapping with Ireland’s first Augmented Reality (AR) Sandbox. The AR Sandbox is based on a concept first developed as part of a National Science Foundation (NSF) funded project lead by visualisation collaboration, KeckCAVES, at the University of California.

L-R Professor Micheni Ntiba, Secretary General of the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries; Anthony Njaramba, Minister of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries, Mombasa County; Mr Simon Warui, Head of Division of Marine and Coastal Fisheries, Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries and Tommy Furey, INFOMAR, Marine Institute

The Delegation toured the building to get a first-hand glimpse of the work undertaken, visiting the biotoxin lab to learn about the work involved in the biotoxin monitoring programme, and the Under Water TV survey lab, viewing footage of the burrows of Dublin Bay prawn (Nephrops norvegicus), getting  an insight into some of the services provided to the Irish Government.  The delegation remarked that they could see may ideas that could be used in Kenya and that they could learn a lot from the Irish experience with “Harnessing our Ocean Wealth”.

Kenya is very interested in developing an integrated Marine Plan for their ocean resources and the delegates were very interested to hear about Ireland’s “Harnessing Our Ocean Wealth” strategy and how it has progressed. There is a new acceptance in Kenya on the importance of the ocean and its potential to contribute to the Kenyan economy.

Ends