/VUS-R-P 
Unsustainable 
Scuba fishing for 
Lobster in Lamu 
There are 1500 fishermen whose livelihoods 
depend on lobster fishing in the Lamu area. 
Recently, fishermen using scuba-diving 
tanks have started fishing here. A few are 
local, but most are from neighbouring 
countries, facilitated by international 
exporters. 
Local fishermen point out that fishing with 
tanks is clearly unsustainable: whereas free 
diving fishermen may, with luck, bring back 
20 kgs for sale, the dive boats have been 
coming in with 300kg, pillaging the reef 
daily. A number of villages in the area 
survive totally on lobster fishing, and tank 
fishermen are a clear threat to the 
livelihoods of these communities. 
It is believed that those sponsoring the 
scuba lobster fishing are also distributing 
nets to fishermen, which are seriously 
damaging the reefs.The local fishermen 
consider these nets the most serious threat 
to the reefs. 
There is also information that octopus is 
being harvested in tonnes off Shanga and 
Ziwayuu. 
Carol Korschen 
korschen@africaonline.co.ke 
Stop Press: 
Legal notice No. 214, in Kenya Gazette Notice 
Supplement No, 105 of 24th December 2003 
Fisheries (prohibitions) Regulations, 2003 
prohibiting scuba dicing for lobsters and beche- 
de-mer arid harvesting or trading in immature 
lobsters has been published. 
We hope that this prohibition will be speedily 
implemented! 
stcr 
By Ian MacKay and Fleur Ng'weno 
Moon, Feb 04 
6 Feb Full moon: 13 Feb Last quarter (rises 
at midnight); 20 Feb New moon 
28 Feb First quarter (overhead at sunset) 
Stars, Feb 04 
The evening sky holds many bright stars this 
month. Sirius, the' brightest star we can 
see at night, is almost overhead, a little to 
the south. Canopus, the second brightest 
star, is at its best viewing position, below 
Sirius in the south. 
The constellation of Orion, the wqrrior - 
three bright stars in a row. and four stars 
forming the corners of a box around them - 
is now overhead. Look carefully at the four 
corner stars; the star Rigel is blue-green in 
colour, while the star Betelgeuse is orange. 
Almost overhead, north of Orion, is a bright, 
reddish star called Aldebaran. It is in a 
group of stars, the Hyades, which seem to 
form a V in the sky. (To the ancient Greeks, 
this 'V' was the head of a mythical bull, and 
Aldebaran its fiery eye.) 
A little lower, towards the northwest, is 
another star cluster, the Pleiades. 
The Pleiades are very new stars, blue and 
hot, Still surrounded'by the dust and gas 
clouds from which they were formed. In 
the north, directly below Aldebaran, is 
the exceptionally bright star Capella. 
The constellation of Perseus is setting in 
the northwest, below Capella and the 
Pleiades. Perseus contains a curious bright 
star called Algol, known as the demon star. 
Every 2 days and 20 hours and 49 minutes, 
it quickly fades to about one third of its 
usual brightness. Algol remains so for 
about 5 hours before returning to its 
normal brightness. This behaviour is 
caused by a dimmer companion star 
periodically moving between Algol and 
ourselves, cutting off the bright light for 
a while. One can only imagine how fast 
these stars must be circling each other 
to achieve this effect in less than 3 days 1 
Planets, Feb 04 
Venus is low in the sky, close to the 
setting sun in the early evening. Mars is 
now in the western sky, also setting slowly. 
Saturn is high overhead. On February 8, 
Jupiter is close to the moon. 
Intern & Volunteer Posts to Fill! 
Public Relations Officer 
(an Internship) 
The Membership Services programme of 
Nature Kenya needs a skilled 
communicator, to assist with 
coordination of print and media 
requirements. 
We are looking for someone with some 
experience and self-initiative, who has 
an understanding of current national and 
global environmental issues. A public 
relations, marketing or journalism 
professional qualification will be an 
added advantage. 
The internship will run for a year, 
reporting to the Membership Services 
Manager. Please send your application 
and resume by 28 February 04 to 
office@naturekenya.org or mail to 
Nature Kenya. 
Event & Outings Organiser 
(Volunteer) 
Flow would you like to help coordinate 
major member and public events? Are 
you a good organiser? Do you have some 
experience? Do you have plenty of time? 
Yes! Then please contact us at 
office@naturekenya.org 
