🔊 New laws to tame Lake Kyoga’s illegal fishing crisis

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The Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries has issued a stern warning to fishermen on Lake Kyoga against the continued use of illegal fishing gear.

The warning was delivered during a regional consultative workshop on the draft fisheries and aquaculture regulations held in Kumi district.

Daisy Oliel Achiro, the commissioner for fisheries regulations management at the ministry, said extensive consultations had been carried out with stakeholders on the proposed regulations, which will soon be enforced to penalise individuals involved in illegal fishing practices.

Fisheries state minister Hellen Adoa called on communities, especially those in Pallisa and Ngora districts, to refrain from risking their lives by engaging in illegal activities on the lake, warning that the law will soon catch up with them.

Some local leaders, including Sam Obore, the fisheries officer for Ngora district, and Stephen Ocola, the LC5 chairperson of Serere, welcomed the regulations. However, they noted that more groundwork is necessary to ensure effective implementation.

Meanwhile, Rtd. Lt. Samuel Kigula, chairperson of the Lake Kyoga Integrated Management Organisation (LAKIMO)—which oversees 17 districts around the lake—described the regulations as timely.

He said they are likely to reduce persistent clashes between fishermen and the Fish Protection Unit.