Mpigi: UPDF announces strict reforms on fishing
According to Okiding, offenders caught using illegal gear will be arrested and prosecuted under the Fisheries and Aquaculture Act, which carries a sentence of up to 7 years upon conviction.
Lt Phillipe Amanya, the commandant of the Marine battalion in greater Mpigi, burning the illegal fishing gears. (Photos by Simon Ssekidde)
________________
In a major bid to rescue the Country's marine economy, the Deputy Chief of Defense Forces, Lt Gen Sam Okiding, has declared an immediate overhaul of fishing operations on major landing sites by enforcing aggressive limits on Lake Victoria across Mpigi district.
The security crackdown targets illegal fishing practices and also aims to flush out unlicensed fishermen and fishmongers, and all destructive fishing cartels.
Addressing lakeside fishing communities at Ssenyondo fish landing site in Buwama in Mpigi district, Lt Gen Sam Okiding, who also heads the committee set up by President Yoweri Museveni, to reorganise fishing communities said operations at all gazetted landing sites will face strict legal caps to prevent overcrowding and overfishing.
"After different reports revealed that the number of fish in Uganda's major Lakes was declining, we had to come up with a plan to reorganise the fishing industry to promote fish stocks in Uganda's major waters through promotion of sustainable fishing practices," Okiding said.
According to Okiding, offenders caught using illegal gear will be arrested and prosecuted under the Fisheries and Aquaculture Act, which carries a sentence of up to 7 years upon conviction.
To curb bribery and bureaucratic delays, Okiding said courts will issue direct orders allowing the marine military to destroy confiscated fishing gear on site.
According to Let Gen Okiding, under the new guidelines, activities in the fish breeding areas inside the lake, use of monofilament nets, hurry-ups, and also using artificial lights to fish silverfish locally called Mukene, are all banned with immediate effect.
Deputy CDF Lt Gen Sam Okiding, (second left) witness the burning of the illegal fishing gears at Ssenyondo landing site.
The deputy CDF also announced a ban on sand mining within the lakeside buffer zones as a precaution to prevent severe disruption of fish breeding grounds.
Other measures:
To bridge the gap between enforcement and local communities, new oversight committees are being formed on the landing site, sub-county, and district levels and will be composed of the indigenous fishing representatives and vetted investors to ensure absolute transparency, the exercise which shall be done by the district security committee, chaired by the Resident District Commissioner.
Lt Col. Owen Kasimba, the UPDF legal officer, announced several measures, which include:
The landing site shall be limited to only 200 fishermen and 66 boats.
All the boats must be registered.
All illegal landing sites within Mpigi and Kalungu districts must be closed with immediate effect.
Fisheries officers to ensure that only documented landing sites remain in operation.
No one shall be allowed to have more than 10 fishing boats at a single landing site.
No construction of houses allowed within the 200 meters buffer zone.
The announcements shook up the communities who responded with mixed reactions, with some agreeing with the changes while others pleaded with the deputy CDF to allow them time to organise the landingsites themselves.
Kasozi Mukarazi, the Chairperson of Ssenyondo fish landing site, pleaded with the deputy CDF for more time to allow the community members to prepare. He also pleaded with Okiding to talk with the authorities to lift the ban on the fishing of silver fish that was imposed by the authorities.
Simon Peter Kawuki, the district LC 5 boss, said they are monitoring the situation very well and are going to work with all the stakeholders to ensure that they reach a common agreement in order to prepare for the development.
Sulaiman Kaweesi, the village chairperson Kamaliba fish landing site and also a prominent fisherman welcomed the move to organise the fishing industry and asked the community members to welcome the changes.
He thanked the team for taking the effort to first come and sensitise fishing communities before implementing the directives and pledged to work with all the stakeholders to ensure that they follow the new guidelines brought to revive the fishing industry.