Security officers banned from taking illegal fishing exhibits to barracks
State Minister for Fisheries Robert Migadde Ndugwa has directed that immature fish seized during enforcement operations be distributed to nearby communities at landing sites, while illegal fishing gear should be destroyed immediately in the presence of the public.
State Minister for Fisheries Robert Migadde Ndugwa addressing the Mukono district leaders on Wednesday before proceeding to the landing sites to meet the fishermen. Left, Mukono District Chairperson Francis Lukooya Mukoome and Draville Amaniyo (right), Woman MP, Mukono district. (Photos by Henry Nsubuga)
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Soldiers deployed to enforce fisheries laws on Uganda's water bodies have been stopped from taking confiscated immature fish and illegal fishing gear to military barracks or police stations.
Instead, State Minister for Fisheries Robert Migadde Ndugwa has directed that immature fish seized during enforcement operations be distributed to nearby communities at landing sites, while illegal fishing gear should be destroyed immediately in the presence of the public.
Migadde issued the directives during separate consultative meetings with fishermen and stakeholders held at Katosi Landing Site in Mukono District and Kiyindi Landing Site in Buikwe District.
The region is supervised by soldiers deployed under the UPDF's 155 Marines Battalion.
The minister argued that distributing confiscated fish to nearby communities would encourage residents to support government efforts to eliminate illegal fishing.
Instead, the minister directed officers to photograph the gear as evidence before destroying it, preferably by burning it in an open place in the presence of local community members.
From left, Mukono District Chairperson Francis Lukooya Mukoome, State Minister for Fisheries Robert Migadde Ndugwa and woman MP Mukono, Sheilah Draville Amaniyo.
"After confiscating the gear, officers should take photographs and destroy it immediately, preferably by setting it on fire. This should be done in an open space and witnessed by members of the public. Even where a suspect is prosecuted, photographs can be used as evidence in court," he said.
Migadde said these directives form part of the new fisheries regulations that the Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries is finalising to operationalise the Fisheries Act. He said the regulations are expected to be published before the end of the month.
The minister was responding to persistent complaints from fishing communities accusing soldiers attached to the 155 Marines Battalion of engaging in corruption, extortion and harassment—allegations similar to those that had previously been levelled against the disbanded Fisheries Protection Unit (FPU).
Some of the fishermen and traders at Katosi Landing Site, accused some soldiers of facilitating the vice through bribery and, in some cases, participating directly in illegal fishing.
At the same meeting, Mukono District Chairperson Francis Lukooya Mukoome urged the government to consider introducing an annual three-month closed fishing season to allow fish stocks to recover from the effects of overfishing and illegal fishing.
Lukooya said he had presented the proposal to President Yoweri Museveni about a decade ago during his tenure as Mukono District chairperson and that the President supported the idea, but subsequent leaders after he left office failed to pursue its implementation.
Responding to the proposal, Migadde said the ministry would consider it after addressing illegal fishing and ensuring fish stocks have sufficiently recovered.
The consultative meetings were attended by officials from the Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries, leaders from Mukono and Buikwe districts, Members of Parliament Sheila Draville Amaniyo, Robert Maseruka and Jimmy Kanaabi, Mukono Assistant Resident District Commissioner Esther Baloma, district fisheries officials and other local leaders.