Senior Research Scientist Mariculture Department Fish Aquaculture & Nutrition Mariculture • Fish Nutrition • Seaweed Farming • Aquaculture Systems Email: mwainaina@kmfri.go.ke Location KMFRI Mombasa Centre Years of Experience Joined KMFRI in 2011 (15 Years) Department Mariculture Department Research Interests Fish aquaculture and nutrition; Aquaculture environment interactions; Seaweed farming and mariculture value chains; Aquaculture disease management; Fish seed and fingerling production; Economic impacts of coastal aquaculture | Research Focus: Advancing sustainable mariculture through research on fish aquaculture, nutrition, and environmental interactions to enhance food security, livelihoods, and blue economy development along the Kenyan coast. Miriam is a Senior Research Scientist at the Kenya Marine and Fisheries Research Institute (KMFRI), where her research centres on fish aquaculture, fish nutrition, and the environmental interactions of farmed systems, spanning milkfish, rabbit fish, tilapia, seaweed value chains and recently domestication trials for freshwater prawn. She has led and contributed to on-station and on-farm trials on fingerling performance, feed comparison, stocking density, and has studied the socio-economic dimensions of mariculture adoption among coastal communities. Miriam's work addresses key challenges such as optimizing feed efficiency in hatchery and grow-out systems, and improving fish health through working closely with stakeholders, government agencies, and conservation groups to design and implement sustainable aquaculture practices. Mirriam's work has been supported by grants including the MASMA Blue Growth Initiative on silver pompano and rabbitfish farming project; Conservation and Sustainable Management of Coastal and Marine Ecosystems (COSME) project and the Marine Research Grant Programme. She has authored or co-authored numerous peer-reviewed papers, technical reports, and policy briefs on seaweed and mud crab farming, and has presented her research at regional and international conferences. She collaborates widely across KMFRI's research Directorates and with partner institutions in the Western Indian Ocean region. Research & Administrative Responsibility - ▹ Contribute to departmental research planning, designing and leading on-station and on-farm aquaculture research trials
- ▹ Coordinate data collection, and analysis, and serve as co-investigator in implementation of donor funded research grants and GoK seed fund
Research Interest / Areas of Expertise - ▹ Fish aquaculture and nutrition
- ▹ Aquaculture environment interactions
- ▹ Seaweed farming and mariculture value chains
- ▹ Aquaculture disease management
- ▹ Fish seed and fingerling production
- ▹ Economic impacts of coastal aquaculture
Academic Qualifications - ▹ MSc in Aquaculture (Cum Laude) – University of Ghent, Belgium (2017)
- ▹ BSc in Fisheries (Second Upper Class Honours) – Moi University, Kenya (2006)
Professional Membership - ▹ Member – Western Indian Ocean Marine Science Association (WIOMSA)
- ▹ Member – Afrimaqua
- ▹ Member – SARNISSA
Professional Services - ▹ Member of Programme Committee – 13th WIOMSA Symposium (2025)
Selected Publications Munguti, J., Muthoka, M., Kyule, D., Nzioka, A., Ogello, E., Magondu, E.W., Mukami, M. and Wainaina, M. (2025). Current Status and Production Trends of Commercially Cultured Mariculture Species Along the Kenyan Coast: Challenges, Opportunities and Future Prospects. Aquaculture, Fish and Fisheries, 5(5), p.e70118. Mirera, D.O., Magondu, E.W., Wainaina, M.W., et al. (2023). Fish preference at different value chain levels and implications for management of mariculture. Marine Policy, 157, 105845. Wainaina, M., Opiyo, M.A., Charo-Karisa, H., Orina, P., & Nyonje, B. (2022). On-farm assessment of different fingerling sizes of Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) on growth performance, survival and yield. Aquaculture Studies, 23(2). Mirera, D.O., Kimathi, A., Ngarari, M.M., Magondu, E.W., Wainaina, M., and Ototo, A. (2020). Societal and environmental impacts of seaweed farming in relation to rural development: The case of Kibuyuni village, south coast, Kenya. Ocean & Coastal Management, 194, 105253. Nyonje, B.M., Opiyo, M.A., Orina, P.S., Abwao, J., Wainaina, M., Baruah, S. Kartik, and Bossier, P. (2017). Efficacy of Bacillus species as probiotics in protecting crustacea larvae against Early Mortality Syndrome (EMS). https://lib.ugent.be/catalog/rug01:002352207Wainaina, M., & Charo-Karisa, H. (2018). Current status of freshwater fish hatcheries, broodstock management and fingerling production in the Kenya aquaculture sector. Livestock Research for Rural Development, 30(1), 1-15. Wainaina, M., Kaunda-Arara, B., and Njiru, J.M. (2013). Seasonality in fish assemblage structure in an East African mangrove creek. African Journal of Marine Science, 35(2), 163-173. Links |
