Fish Death Explained

CRAFTY fishermen in Mukono district have used explosives and not poison to indiscriminately kill fish, the state minister for fisheries said yesterday, reports Charles Wendo.Byaruhanga said fisheries officers dispatched to Budooda and Kitega fish landing sites in Nazigo sub-county discovered that the massive fish deaths had been caused by explosives.The fishermen, now on the run, drilled explosives into rocks under water. The explosives, suspected to have been stolen from quarries or construction sites, exploded and produced shock waves that killed the fish and other aquatic life. The use of explosives to catch fish is listed alongside poisoning and the use of under-sized nets as one of the illegal fishing methods. The dead fish, ranging from the youngest to the oldest, floated on the waters afterwards. This prompted residents to abandon fish, the cheapest white meat for them.Ends