FPU destroys 800kgs of immature fish
A Fisheries Protection Unit (FPU) officer pours fuel on the burning immature fish at a landing site in Uganda in 2023. PHOTO/FILE/PAUL ADUDE
What you need to know:
- The MAAIF fisheries inspector Mr Innocent Mugabi said the fish was recovered from illegal smugglers in Jinja City last week who were transporting them to Kenya to sell them.
The Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries (MAAIF) together with the UPDF Fisheries Protection Unit (FPU) have destroyed over 800kgs of immature fish worth millions of shillings in Entebbe.
The MAAIF fisheries inspector Mr Innocent Mugabi said the fish was recovered from illegal smugglers in Jinja City last week who were transporting them to Kenya to sell them.
“Our soldiers intercepted the culprits in Jinja, three suspects were arrested and taken to Buganda road utility court for further management together with the illegal fish which court advised us to burn since they were immature and improper for human consumption,” he said on Wednesday.
“The culprits didn’t have any documents, particularly the license, or the fish moving permits. The Nile Perch were very immature fish since they were 13 inches long instead of the required 21 inches required. This particular consignment wasn’t good right from the area where it was fished, it wasn’t handled well,” he said.
The UPDF Fisheries Protection Unit (FPU) Political Commissar Maj Bernard Karugaba said the continued illegal fishing practices are a result of a lack of adherence to laws from the community members engaged in the fishing activities.
“We have issues of people bringing in illegal fishing gear through our porous borders, others are being made in the country which are cheaper. These illegal fishermen use that chance and come with them onto the waters,” he said.
Mr Karugaba said the unit is working with URA and customs officials at the legal border points to curb perpetrators involved in the illegal activities.
