Army impounds 40 tonnes of immature fish in Mpigi,Kalungu
Sacks of immature fish impounded by the Fisheries Protection Unit from Ssenyondo and Kamaliba landing sites. PHOTO/ ISSA ALIGA
What you need to know:
- “At the landing sites, a kilogramme of immature fish is sold at Shs8,000 and when unscrupulous fishermen stealthily transport the same fish and it reaches Bwera fish market in Kasese District at the Democratic Republic of Congo border , it is sold at Shs23,000 per kilogram,” he said
Soldiers under the Fisheries Protection Unit (FPU) of the Uganda Peoples Defense Forces (UPDF) have, together with authorities in the districts of Mpigi and Kalungu, conducted a crackdown on illegal fishermen at various landing sites on the shores of Lake Victoria.
During the operation, a total of 32 illegal boats were impounded and 90 fishermen arrested from Ssenyondo and Kamaliba landing sites in Mpigi and Kalungu respectively. The suspects were found with fresh immature fish weighing one tonne packed in bags weighing 100kg each and a variety of illegal fishing nets. Another 40 tonnes of immature Nile Perch fish were found hidden in stores at the home of one of the suspects at Kambulala ‘A’ village in Kyamulibwa Town Council.
Kalungu District assistant fisheries officer, Joseph Kasumba said they have tried to fight illegal fishing, but some fishermen have proved to be untouchables.
“Those people have the backing of powerful politicians in this country. They make their own illegal fishing nets and go back to the landing sites and use the same nets in trapping young fish,” he said on Friday.
He said since the year began, the district has lost billions of shillings in revenue which they could have collected from the fish dealers at various landing sites if they were harvesting mature fish.
“At the landing sites, a kilogramme of immature fish is sold at Shs8,000 and when unscrupulous fishermen stealthily transport the same fish and it reaches Bwera fish market in Kasese District at the Democratic Republic of Congo border , it is sold at Shs23,000 per kilogram,” he said.
The Uganda Fisheries Protection Unit (FPU) commander, Lt. Col Mercy Tukahirwa said her new team was determined to bring sanity on the lake.
‘’It is true some fish dealers claim to have the backing of bigwigs in government, but we are ready to crush them because what they are doing is illegal,’’ she said.
She revealed that her team has already identified some fishermen who have continuously depleted the lake through using illegal fish gear at night on the waters.
“We have deployed intelligence teams at various landing sites which are going to help us track down those fishermen with immature fish and illegal fishing gear.” she added.
Lt. Deogratius Kato, the Masaka Regional commander of FPU , said the impounded immature fish and nets are currently kept at Armoured Brigade Barracks –Kasijjagirwa.
“We are going to organize and burn them,” he said.
Ever since President Museveni deployed soldiers to crackdown on illegal fishing on Uganda’s lakes in 2017, there has been significant increase in fish stocks .However, the FPU soldiers have on several occasions been criticised over their high-handedness in dealing with people suspected of engaging in illegal fishing. On several occasions fishermen have accused FPU officers of participating in illegal fishing and protecting large scale fishermen dealing in immature fish.
During FPU operations, many people suspected of dealing in immature fish have reportedly been tortured, some killed and several ungazetted landing sites destroyed along the shores of Lake Victoria, Kyoga and Lake Albert.
