Soldiers won't solve the fisheries dilemma

Nov 23, 2016

The seasoned smugglers have instead changed their modus operandi to stay afloat under the prevailing circumstances.

By George Bita                   

President Yoweri Museveni stood his ground in October last year to kick law enforcement officers off the lake precincts.

This reportedly followed persistent complaints from the fishing community that the soldiers deployed for the purpose of stopping illegal fishing were not living up to expectations.

Others will definitely attach the move to a campaign tactic given that the presidential elections where round the corner. Hence if they return now, the hypothesis would be surely baptised a theory there and then.

Whereas, an opinion of November 22, attributed to a law enforcement officer alleges that the way forward should be to redeploy soldiers on our lakes to protect fish, I choose to differ.

My association with fishermen for the last decade or so makes me believe this approach may bring about the same problems created in the past.

The memories of running battles with fishermen, beatings and gunfire on the lakes are still fresh in our memories. These fishermen as ‘masters of the waters' only changed tactics to survive the hard way.

Several law enforcement military personnel from Uganda Revenue Authority (URA) dot the Busia-Jinja highway to curb smuggling. Unfortunately it hasn't stopped the vice as regular commuters on that route would bear me witness.

The seasoned smugglers have instead changed their modus operandi to stay afloat under the prevailing circumstances.

Robbers in military fatigues would take advantage to raid landing sites along Mayuge, Bugiri and Busia landing sites under cover of darkness. These would ‘confiscate' boat engines and purported illegal fishing nets which definitely tainted the UPDF image.

There are stories of fishermen retreating to isolated marshy points to poison fish and just pick it up from the shallow waters. This done as a form of compensation for what they couldn't get after their illegal gear had been confiscated.

Records show that Lake Victoria alone produces a fish catch of over 800,000 tonnes of fish annually. The lake fisheries support almost 2 million people with household incomes and meet the annual fish consumption needs of almost 22 million people in the region.

Although Nile Tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) and Nile perch (Lates niloticus) were introduced in 1950s and 1960s to boost fish production, they are now a source of livelihood for multitudes.

The best that could be done for the moment is to sensitise the fishing communities about sustainable harvesting of fish.

The Basoga have a saying that if you squeeze the nose too much, it would end up bleeding. Already there are many local enforcement bodies trying to do what the soldiers are being sought for to do.

Corrupt tendencies of the local enforcement teams are a well-known fact but I think as sensitisation of fishermen takes place, the corruption cancer could also be addressed.

Seemingly, insignificant issues like family planning must take centre stage to control population growth. What used to be vast unoccupied shorelines by 2010 like at Musoli parish in Mayuge are now busy landing sites due to high reproductive rates.

As soon as a child attains six years of age, it is possible for him to follow dad onto the waters. Consequently, the total fish catch from the lake has been increasing over the years due to increase in fishing effort by more fishermen on the waters.

For example in 2000 the estimated annual landing was about 620,000 tonnes of which Nile perch contributed 42%, Tilapia 17% and other species 41%.  In 2006 the estimated total catch was 1,061,107 tonnes whereby Nile perch contributed 24%, Tilapia 7%, Haplochromines 13% and other species 55%.

Continued fishing at current effort levels, if unchecked, will most likely lead to decline in catches and biomass.

Let us help the local fisherman understand the essentials of conservation as soldiers may not solve anything for now.

The writer is a journalist

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