I didn't ban catching silverfish, says minister

Fisheries state minister Hellen Adoa has clarified that catching silverfish was not banned on Ugandan waters.

“I did not stop anyone from fishing silverfish. What we banned was the hurry up method. Hurry up is a terrible illegal way of fishing and they actually sail the net as they move, which is very dangerous for other species of fish,” she remarked on Wednesday while addressing fishermen at Kasenyi Landing site.

While in the area, the minister received fishing equipment from the Lake Victoria Fisheries Organisation.

“I learnt from parliament that FPU commander Mercy Tukahirwa allowed two days to fish but she did not tell them to use the hurry up method. Hurry up has made Lake Victoria not to have fish. Right now, Lake Victoria is totally bleeding,” Adoa observed.

“No one should misadvise you that the minister banned you from fishing silverfish. We advised you to use chota-chota fishing method,” she added.

According to Adoa, there is need for government to address the fight between the silver fishers and the Nile perch fishers.

The acting commissioner for aquaculture development at the Fisheries resource directorate, Daisy Olyel, said research revealed that fishermen can only sustainably catch silver fish on Lake Victoria by using different methods other than hurry up in the recommended 15 days a month.

“If you don't want to use the chota-chota method, you can use lampara nets of 90 metres with a depth of not more than 14 metres off the shores in the dark period when there is no moonlight,” she emphasized.

Olyel elaborated that “some months are 15 days, some months are 16 when it is dark, and averagely it should not be more than 21 days.”

“The mesh of the net should not be more than 10 millimetres and it should not be dragged, it should be stationary with your three lamps, dragging, it is illegal” she said.