Seven fishermen held over illegal fishing gear
Destroyed. Some of the confiscated illegal fishing gear used on Lake Kyoga during an operation conducted last year. Seven people have been arrested by law enforcement agencies in Pallisa District in connection with illegal fishing. PHOTO BY DAN WANDERA
Seven people have been arrested by law enforcement authorities in Pallisa District in connection with illegal fishing gears.
The suspects are all fishermen on Lake Omunuo.
The fisheries department, in partnership with the police headed by the officer-in-charge of Agule Police Station, Mr George Emuria, confirmed the arrest and detention of the suspects, whom he said would be charged accordingly.
Mr Charles Otto, the Pallisa District fisheries officer, warned the locals against using illegal fishing gears, saying his office would continue to conduct routine patrols.
“We have intensified patrols across all the major lakes in Pallisa District and found some fishermen with illegal fishing gears. We have handed them over to the police to face charges of illegal fishing. Nobody should dare continue and use these banned nets or else they will have to face the law,” Mr Otto said.
He added: “The continued use of banned nets has adversely affected the fish stocks and even the district revenue collection.”
According to the Agriculture ministry, the number of illegal fishing cases handled by authorities jumped by nearly 30 per cent in the first half of 2017, compared with the same period the previous year.
In the first half of 2017, authorities investigated 1,653 cases of illegal fishing, up by 27.34 per cent in the same period in 2016.
Among the 2017 cases, 1,553 were on rivers. Authorities destroyed 704,432 metres of illegal fishing gears, with 274 banned tools.
