Fishermen up in arms over new fishing law
Women smoke fish at Bukungu Landing Site in Buyende District on May 16, 2022. PHOTO | DENIS EDEMA
What you need to know:
- The Bill that seeks to replace Fish Act, Cap 197 also proposes that the government formulates a directorate that will be solely responsible for the management of the sector.
- The Bill also seeks to regulate the exportation of fish products and the government has suggested a raft of punishments for an exporter or and any other person who violates fish quality standards.
Fishermen on various lakes across the country have asked President Museveni not to assent to the recently passed Fisheries legislation, describing it as unrealistic.
On May 4, Parliament passed the Fisheries and Aquaculture Bill, 2021, that, among others, prescribes a Shs40m fine or jail sentence of two years for those found selling fish without a valid fish trade licence.
The same sitting also approved the clause that anyone who is found transporting fish and its products without a valid movement permit will be slapped with either a Shs40m fine or a two-year jail sentence.
In Jinja City, fishermen at Masese Landing Site criticised the Bill, with Mr Majid Magumba, the chairperson of the group, describing it as “unrealistic” given the fact that many fishermen don’t have the money to purchase standard fishing gear that the Bill seeks to uphold.
According to Mr Magumba, the lawmakers erred in passing the Bill without consulting them. The MPs are also accused of failure to visit fishing communities to assess the conditions of individual fishermen.
Mr Magumba fears that if the President signs the Bill into law, all fishermen and their business partners will end up in jail. “For this Bill to be effective, the government should first empower the fishermen with capital to purchase the necessary requisite fishing gear,” he said in an interview last week.
The vice chairperson of the Association of Fishers and Lake Users of Uganda, Mr Joseph Lukwago, said focus should have been put on preventing the importation of illegal fishing nets instead of introducing a Shs40m fine.
“The Shs40m fine will promote bribery among the law enforcement officers, some of whom will easily accept, say, a Shs10m kickback from fishermen so that they can be released without being charged, unlike the two years’ imprisonment that will separate them from their families,” he added.
Mr Dodasco Mwesigwa, the chairperson of Wanseko Fishermen Association in Buliisa District, blamed Parliament for passing a Bill, which he says doesn’t help fishermen.
“The lawmakers passed the Bill thinking that everyone earns Shs30 million like them, we are struggling to keep in this business, but they are threatening us with harsh punishments,” he said.
Mr Godfrey Agaba, a fisherman at Waluhoiza Landing Site on Lake Albert, said: “I can’t say anything good about this government; whatever law they bring is intended to suffocate the common man.”
But Mr Stephen Bagonza, a fish businessman from Nsonga Landing Site in Kikuube District, said the legislation is good since it is intended to combat illegal fishing practices.
Mr James Asiimwe, a fisherman at Kanara landing site in Ntoroko District said the Bill gives excessive powers to the Directorate of Fisheries, the Chief Fisheries Officer and the line minister to make guidelines to regulate the fishing sector without involving key stakeholders.
Mr Calist Rubahamya, a fisherman at Rweshama Fishing Village on Lake Edward in Rukungiri District, said: “I started fishing activities in 1978, I own boats and other equipment I pay licence every year for this business, but I was not consulted when this Bill was being drafted. I appeal to President Museveni to send it back to Parliament so that all key stakeholders are consulted.”
Mr Mariko Okello, one of the fishermen at Lale Landing Site on Lake Kyoga in Soroti, believes that the issue of licence will drive them out of business .
“First, they came demanding that we use recommended boats, which we bought , which boats are not viable since fish stocks in the lake have gone down, some of us are still servicing the loans we used for buying them,” Mr Okello explained .
Mr Nyansio Mutebi, a fisherman at Kigungu Landing Site in Entebbe, said:” I don’t agree with the Bill because even government has failed to curb illegal fishing gear, they are imported from outside Uganda and government gets revenue to allow them into the country “ .
Compiled by Al-Mahdi Ssenkabirwa, Philip Wafula, Abubaker Kirunda, Tausi Nakato, Alex Ashaba Andrew Mugati, Robert Muhereza, Emmanuel Arineitwe, Eve Muganga & Simon Peter Emwamu
