Catching fish for fun at Murchison Falls

Fishing for fun may not come naturally to you, especially if like many of us, you are more accustomed to parting with a fee for a meal of fish. Sport fishing, however, opens one to an adventure of not only catching fish for leisure, but also for competition while still conserving nature as the fish is never killed during the activity.

While national parks with water bodies have taken on sport fishing, Murchison Falls National Park has gone on to host a fishing tournament for the last four years. The most recent one happened in February.

Peter Baldwin, one of the organisers of the tournament, recalls that the tournament was first held 16 years ago and has since then grown into an international event with people visiting Uganda from as far as the US, Australia and the UK to participate. The recent Murchison Falls Invitational Fishing Tournament raised $20,000 (about Shs67 million) in form of gate collections, a motorbike and donations in form of scholastic materials to Paraa Primary School in Masindi District and a scholarship fund for needy pupils to continue with their secondary education.

What it takes to participate
Baldwin, who also participated in the tournament this year, says competitors and sponsors have to prepare for the event months in advance. “This kind of preparing involves making boats ready, ordering for new fishing equipment and perfecting tactics. At the event, the fishermen compete for three days in what is a strictly “catch and release” event. This means all target fish must be released alive for counting on the scoreboard,” Baldwin says.

This year, 1,840kgs of fish of different species was caught and released within the three-day fishing period.
This, Raymond Engena, the director of Tourism Development and Business Services at UWA, says was 400kgs more than what was caught in 2015 during a similar tournament. The biggest fish that was caught was close to 67kgs.
The benefit of releasing fish, Baldwin says, is to enable other visitors who come to the park, catch them again later to allow sport fishing continuity and earn Uganda more foreign exchange.

“Fish stocks of Tilapia and Nile Perch are under incredible pressure, which leaves Murchison falls as the only protected area in Africa where Nile Perch can be studied and researched for the better understanding of fish management and sporting across Uganda and further afield,” he says.
The Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) is the primary driver behind the event and the organisers of the Murchison Falls invitational fishing tournament work closely with UWA to ensure the event compliments the aims of conservation.

Why Murchison falls park
“Murchison Falls represents a world-leading location for sport fishing. The competitors and sponsors of the tournament fully support UWA’s efforts to combat poaching and protect the flora and fauna of Uganda, which will always generate more financial benefits for the country,” Baldwin explains.
Engena says the Murchison Falls invitational fishing tournament is normally attended by close to 40 participants. However, this year’s tournament had 46 participants.
The tournament mainly attracts tourists from countries like South Africa, South Sudan, Kenya and foreigners resident in Uganda. It is usually organised with support from major local companies such as Toyota Uganda,that donated a new motorcycle won by the one who caught the biggest fish, Nile Breweries and the Murchison Falls Lodge.
The bike, however, was donated to UWA to be used by game rangers to control poaching around Murchison Falls National Park.

Who the beneficiaries are
“This activity has become one of the popular calendar marketing events. It serves to market Murchison Falls National Park and Uganda as a preferred tourist destination with a range of exciting activities,” Engena explains. Visitors pay entrance fees of $40 (about Shs132,000) per day for the three days and fishing permit of $200 (about Shs660,000) per person.

Inspiration behind the tournament
To Engena, sport fishing is one of the innovative strategies to support wildlife conservation. By catching and releasing fish, with a condition of no fish dying in the process clear to all participants, Engena says management is able to determine the various species and population of fish within Ugandan waters. He says protection of these fishing habitats also helps in maintaining constant supply of fish to the community. “For the four years this activity has been going on, we noticed more interest in the tournament and increased visitation to Murchison Falls National Park,” Engena says, adding that this has led to current close to 60,000 visitors in a year.

Hurdles
So far, Engena says, the tournament has not experienced many challenges. “The strict safety code and discipline of participants means that neither accidents nor environmental degradation take place,” Engena says. He adds that the level of 40 boats per competition means that the chance of expansion is currently limited, yet the tournament is yearned by many.

The numbers
Shs132,000

The amount Visitors pay as entrance fees per day.

Shs660,000
The cost of a fishing permit per person.

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