Our Work
Fisheries Management
Supporting coastal communities to manage their fisheries wisely — so that both people and the ocean can thrive.
Introduction
Healthy fisheries matter
Healthy fisheries are essential for food security, livelihoods, and the living coastline on Kenya’s Coast. In Watamu and surrounding areas, the sea supports families, local enterprise, and a deep sense of place.
Pwani Bora works alongside Beach Management Units (BMUs), fishers, and local partners to strengthen community-led management of marine resources. We focus on practical support that helps communities make informed decisions, respond to local challenges, and build confidence in their own stewardship.
Our goal is lasting local ownership, fairer benefits from sustainable fishing, and healthier marine ecosystems that can support both people and nature over time.
Focus Areas
What this work includes
Our fisheries management work is grounded in local priorities and shaped with the people who depend on the sea every day.
Strengthening Beach Management Units
We support BMUs to grow as trusted local institutions through governance strengthening, planning support, leadership development, and clearer community processes.
Community-Led Management Measures
Together with fishers and local leaders, we help explore practical measures that protect breeding grounds, reduce pressure on key species, and improve long-term fisheries health.
Sustainable Livelihoods & Benefits
We work toward fairer local benefits from sustainable fishing by linking conservation goals with livelihoods, resilience, and opportunities that matter to coastal households.
Knowledge, Data & Learning
We help build shared understanding through local knowledge, simple monitoring, and learning processes that support better decisions and stronger community ownership.
Why It Matters
People and ocean together
Well-managed fisheries help coastal families put food on the table, support dignified livelihoods, and reduce pressure on the marine ecosystems that sustain life along the Kenyan Coast.
When communities are able to care for fishing grounds wisely, the benefits reach beyond the landing site. Healthier reefs, seagrass beds, and nearshore habitats support fish populations, strengthen the wider coastline, and create better conditions for species such as sea turtles that depend on connected marine habitats.
Fisheries, habitats, and wildlife are deeply connected — and lasting conservation grows stronger when communities can see and share in the benefits.
Pwani Bora approach
That is why fisheries management sits naturally alongside sea turtle and habitat protection: each strengthens the resilience of the other, and all are part of a thriving coastal future.
How we work
We partner with existing BMUs and fisher groups, building on local knowledge and structures already in place. Our role is to support practical progress step by step, not to impose top-down projects from outside.
01
Listen first
We begin with local priorities, relationships, and the realities communities face on the water and at the landing site.
02
Plan together
We work with BMUs, fishers, and partners to identify realistic actions, responsibilities, and shared goals.
Success is measured by stronger local institutions, better community confidence, and tangible benefits that people can see and sustain.
03
Support action
We provide practical accompaniment, learning support, and problem-solving as communities test and strengthen management measures.
04
Learn and adapt
We reflect on what is working, improve where needed, and help communities carry the work forward with growing local ownership.
Partner
Work with Pwani Bora
If you are part of a BMU, fisher group, community initiative, or partner organization, we would love to explore how we can support stronger fisheries stewardship together.