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Bunyonyi traders fish millions out of lake
What you need to know:
Residents and leaders have reported a humanitarian crisis in Bweramule Sub-county, with significant impacts including stranded livestock, destroyed homes, and heightened health concerns due to the potential for disease outbreaks.
Residents around Lake Bunyonyi earn approximately Shs235 million annually from capturing small fish using traditional methods, despite the scarcity of larger fish.
The Kabale District Senior Fisheries Officer, Ms Jenifer Twebaze, reported yesterday that research shows around 18,720 kilogrammes of haplochromines worth Shs149.7 million are caught annually from Lake Bunyonyi.
Additionally, 12,000 kilogrammes of mudfish worth Shs54 million are also captured annually.
Furthermore, 2,688 kilogrammes of crayfish valued at Shs18.8 million, 450 kilogrammes of tilapia worth Shs5.4 million, and 720 kilogrammes of catfish worth Shs7.2 million are harvested from the lake each year.
“Although fishing activities on Lake Bunyonyi are not as vibrant as on other Ugandan lakes due to the lake’s nature not supporting the growth of larger fish like tilapia and catfish, Kabale District still earns about Shs230 million annually from this sector, mainly from small fish such as haplochromines and mudfish,” Ms Twebaze said.
Lake Bunyonyi, considered the second deepest lake in Africa, has a depth ranging between 44 metres and 900 metres. It measures 25 kilometres in length and seven kilometres in width, covering an area of 61 square kilometres.
Ms Twebaze also mentioned that the Kabale District local government restocked Lake Bunyonyi with 360,000 tilapia and catfish fries in 2006. However, the lack of a conducive breeding ground has hindered the multiplication of larger fish in the lake.
To boost fish farming in the district, they support individual fish farmers in establishing and restocking fish ponds for both food and economic benefits. They have also introduced value addition interventions, such as smoking fish to prevent wastage, given its perishable nature.
“We have a total of 213 fish ponds in Kabale District, of which 145 have been restocked, covering a total land area of about 301.38 square metres,” Ms Twebaze said.
Fishermen on Lake Bunyonyi, including Moses Tiwangye, Giles Agaba, and Ronny Muhanguzi, reported that they use weaved baskets, hooks, and fishing nets to capture haplochromines, crayfish, mudfish, and catfish.
They noted that larger catches are typically made during the rainy seasons when fish move closer to the lake shores to feed on organisms carried by the running water.
“During the dry season, capturing any type of fish is difficult because they stay in the deep waters due to reduced water levels caused by high temperatures,” Mr Agaba said.
Fish traders in Kabale town, such as Mr Martin Sarongo and Ms Annet Mugwisa, prefer transporting fish from Lake Victoria, Lake Albert, and Lake George due to the steady supply and customer preference for these fish, which they argue are more nutritious compared to those from local ponds.
“The price of fish in Kabale town ranges between Shs10,000 and Shs40,000 depending on the size. The higher price includes transport costs and trader profit,” Ms Mugwisa said.
