Abdul Owor, a seasoned fisherman carries his day's catch of lobsters along Mombasa beach and takes it to a nearby store room for sale.

The store room is a lobster collection center belonging to a Chinese company that deals in the export of live lobsters. Owor's catch is weighed and he is paid cash by the Kenyan attendant.

Owor said that unlike in the past when he had to depend on Kenyan middlemen to market his lobsters, nowadays the chain is more convenient as he sells them directly to Chinese traders who buy and export lobsters to China.

"The middlemen used to cheat us by buying from us cheaply and selling at higher prices to the dealers. These days, we sell to the Chinese companies directly and earn more money [with which we can improve our lifestyles]," said Owor, adding that the payment is immediate now, as opposed to often waiting for days for payment in the past.

Good wholesale prices

According to Owor, in early 2020, the wholesale price of lobsters was $2.87 per kg, which has now risen to $4.57 per kg.

"Today, my catch measured 12 kg and I have been paid $54.84," he said.

Over decades, thousands of Kenyan fishermen and traders have been operating along Kenya's 640-km coastline, earning a living by catching and selling lobsters and other types of fish.

Lobsters are internationally highly valued seafood products, both on the domestic and export market, and one of the most important crustacean resources in Kenya.

For local communities living on the Kenyan coast, their traditional methods of lobster fishery management have ensured the shellfish remains an important source of local income.

Among the major areas where lobsters have traditionally been caught in Kenya are Lamu Archipelago, Kipini-Kiwaiyu Islands, Mambrui, Kilifi, Msambweni, and Shimoni areas, all lying within the Kenyan coast.

Until recently, the majority of the fishermen and lobster dealers were Kenyans who sold their catch to Kenyan middlemen, who in turn sold them to local traders for export to Europe (mostly Italy), China, Malaysia, Thailand and Singapore.

But around May 2020, Kenyans involved in the lobster trade felt the financial impact of the COVID-19 pandemic restrictions and, with loss of business, came a shortage of operating capital. Fortunately, their plight was eased when Chinese dealers and exporters entered the equation, setting up operations in Kenya and dealing directly with fishermen.

"In May 2020, many Chinese [dealers] joined the trade. They came [to Kenya] at a time when most of Kenyans dealing in lobsters had given up due to running short of capital, which was brought about by the pandemic. They came with sufficient capital and started buying lobsters from fishermen at better prices," said Lucas Munyokole, a trade officer at Shimoni landing site.

He said that the Chinese dealers ship live lobsters mostly to China and some to Malaysia, Thailand and Singapore.

This is confirmed by the Kenya State Department for Fisheries, Aquaculture and the Blue Economy which reports that 95 percent of the exported live lobsters caught in Kenya now go to China. Their records also indicate that some lobsters are exported in frozen form to the European Union with Italy importing more than 60 percent of these.

Li Wei, one of the Chinese lobster dealers at Msambweni, said it is not surprising that most live lobsters are exported to China as demand for live nutritious lobsters back home is very high. "Lobsters are a delicacy among the Chinese, especially the [growing] middle class. Over time, the taste for lobsters in China has grown."

Fishermen optimistic

It is precisely this increasing taste and demand for lobsters in China that has led to more Chinese moving to Kenya to find opportunities in the lobster industry and other areas.

The Kenyan local market for lobsters is also on the rise, which is connected to the increasing number of Chinese working in the country, especially in the construction and trade industries, who enjoy dining out on lobsters.

Yusuf Ali, a lobster dealer at Mamburui, said that two years ago there were not many foreigners who dealt in buying lobsters from fishermen and exporting them. But after May 2020, Chinese dealers joined the lobster trade along the Kenyan coastline.

He said that the Chinese lobster dealers have set up bases in Kilifi, Kwale and Mombasa.

A resident of Kilifi, Mubarak Chege said, "Before the coming of the Chinese into the lobster business, our town was not as active as it is today. The Chinese have created a business boom in our area that can be seen by the new buildings being constructed."

For Twalib Abubakar, Chairman of the Lamu Fishermen Association, the business boom is obvious. "The lobster business is like any other business. The fishermen will always sell to whoever offers [them the] best price," he said, adding that it is not surprising that fishermen are happy to be dealing with Chinese traders.

The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization's latest figures indicate that the lobster business along Kenya's coast now includes several Chinese companies.

However, Kenyan local companies including Trans Africa, Pwani Sealife Kenya, Sea Harvest and Crustacean Processors, which specialize in processing and supplying frozen lobster, work amicably with Chinese dealers and traders who prefer live lobster trade to frozen lobsters.

"The trade of lobsters is going on smoothly between local people and the Chinese. Local fishermen go to the sea and catch lobsters. The Chinese buy from them and pay cash," said John Ngine, a coastal tax officer of Kenya's Ministry of Industrialization, Trade and Enterprise Development.

However, the fish trade between Kenya and China is a two-way street. Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries Cabinet Secretary Peter Munya said that although Kenya exports lobsters to China, Kenya depends on China for its own fish supply. "Kenya will continue importing fish from China due to an acute deficit we are grappling with. We import a good quantity of tilapia from China," said Munya.

Lobster volumes rising

Latest data from the Kenya National Bureau of Standards (KNBS) shows that Kenya's lobster production has registered an improved performance.

Statistics at KNBS indicate that between 2009 and 2013, a total of 84 tons of lobsters were exported annually to China. By 2016 the figure had risen to 386 tons and today it is at 650 tons.

According to Kenya's Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries 2020 report, there are 13,426 artisanal fisheries along the Kenyan coast. The Marine Frame Survey Report said that Lamu County has the highest number of lobster fisheries with 74 percent of the total.

Kenya State Department for Fisheries, Aquaculture and the Blue Economy Commissioner Ambrose Kyemugo said, "We welcome any foreign businessmen who bring in money to promote [the] fisheries department."

However, to ensure the lobster resource remains sustainable, regulations have been put into place. Kyemugo said there are concerns that due to the increasing number of fishermen and sales, depletion of lobsters may be experienced and so it was necessary to implement control measures.

"We have come up with some restrictions and prohibition in the catching of undersize lobsters. Trawling is confined to five nautical miles and only mature lobsters weighing over 250 grams can be caught," said Kyemugo. 

(Print Edition Title: Shellfish on the Move)

Reporting from Kenya

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