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Fishermen protest ban on mukene fishing nets
Fishermen at Ssenyondo landing site in Mpigi District sort silverfish on drying racks. PHOTO/ FILE
What you need to know:
In a February 20 statement, State Minister for Fisheries Hellen Adoa banned the use of the Hurry-up method used for catching silverfish on Ugandan waters in a bid to save the dwindling Nile Perch stock and also promote responsible fishing practices among the fishing communities
A section of fishermen on Lake Victoria has protested a ban on specific types of fishing gear mainly used by those dealing in silverfish locally known as mukene.
In a February 20 statement, State Minister for Fisheries Hellen Adoa banned the use of the Hurry-up method used for catching silverfish on Ugandan waters in a bid to save the dwindling Nile Perch stock and also promote responsible fishing practices among the fishing communities.
According to the minister, fishermen dealing in mukene use big fishnet sizes that cover a large surface area and harvest everything in the lake that the net comes across, including young Nile Perch species.
“I hereby instruct the fisheries enforcement agencies and community leaders that anybody caught using the Hurry-up should be prosecuted. Concerned fishers should, therefore, desist from the use of this method for fishing Mukene, Ragoogi, and Muziri in all our water bodies,” she said.
The minister said fishing of silverfish should only be done using the scoop-net fishing method.
However, the ban has sparked mixed reactions from fishermen, saying it is discriminatory and may not serve the purpose.
Argument
Mr Abdul Kyandiga, a mukene fisherman at Kiyindi Landing Site on Lake Victoria, said they strongly oppose the reintroduction of catching mukene using the scoop net method, commonly known as Kyoota Kyoota that was scraped off by the government for being dangerous to the lake shores, the breeding places for the fish.
Mr Kyandiga added that Kyoota Kyoota is rudimental, and uses very small boats that were banned by the government.
“Kyoota Kyoota is what the government banned in the early 2000 and introduced the Hurry-up, which was launched here at Kiyindi. Why would this once bad fishing method be brought back now?” he wondered.
Mr Charles Mpiima, a trader at Kiyindi Mukene Market in Buikwe District, said changing to the new fishing method is costly.
The chairperson of the Association of Fishers and Lake Users of Uganda (AFALU), Mr Godfrey Ssenyonga Kambugu, said: “We have had several meetings with the minister over the issue and resolved that the only way to save the lake is to get back to Kyoota Kyoota method and we are only waiting for implementation. We are grateful to the ministry for taking this step, which we hope will rejuvenate the lake,” he said.
In response, Ms Adoa said she is not introducing anything new, but enforcing an already existing law.
“Although the Hurry-up fishing method was introduced by the government, research conducted by scientists at Kajjansi and Jinja along the shores of Lake Victoria proved its dangers and has to be stopped,” she said.
“Ever since I issued that ban, I have met several fishermen who want an extension of the deadline [to enforce the ban], which I have failed to grant since the lake has to be saved,” she added.
However, she promised to lobby the government to avail the fishermen with the recommended fishing gear.
Background
Over the last two decades, the fisheries sector has played an important social and economic role in Uganda as the second largest foreign exchange earner, contributing 2.6 percent of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and 12 percent to agricultural GDP.
