Immature fish worth sh500m impounded
Mar 31, 2010
Immature fish worth over sh500m were on Tuesday impounded from Jinja, Mayuge and Bugiri districts. The fish was confisticated from mongers in Sigulu, Wayasi and Hama islands enroute to Kenya.
By Moses Bikala
Immature fish worth over sh500m were on Tuesday impounded from Jinja, Mayuge and Bugiri districts. The fish was confisticated from mongers in Sigulu, Wayasi and Hama islands enroute to Kenya.
Adu Kugema, the head of operations in the fisheries ministry, said two suspects were arrested from Wayasi Island on Lake Victoria while fishing using illegal gear popularly referred to as kokota.
Kugema said similar operations will be carried out to check illegal fishing on the lake. The early morning operation was jointly carried out by fisheries and marine officials and the Police.
The crackdown took fish mongers and businessmen heading to Mbale and western Kenya by surprise. Most of the impounded fish included silver fish (mukene), Nile perch and tilapia.
The Bugiri fisheries officer, Deogratious Mwogererwa, said they had cautioned fishermen against using illegal fishing gear in vain. He said fishermen are required to use fishing nets of 10 millimetres but they were using those measuring five millimetres.
“Besides, the fishermen are required to fish two kilometres offshore but they fish one kilometre offshore.†Mwogererwa said most of the impounded fish will be given to prisoners and the rest will be burnt.
He added that over 100 illegal fishing nets had been burnt in the district since the beginning of the year and 90 fishermen had been arrested.
Immature fish worth over sh500m were on Tuesday impounded from Jinja, Mayuge and Bugiri districts. The fish was confisticated from mongers in Sigulu, Wayasi and Hama islands enroute to Kenya.
Adu Kugema, the head of operations in the fisheries ministry, said two suspects were arrested from Wayasi Island on Lake Victoria while fishing using illegal gear popularly referred to as kokota.
Kugema said similar operations will be carried out to check illegal fishing on the lake. The early morning operation was jointly carried out by fisheries and marine officials and the Police.
The crackdown took fish mongers and businessmen heading to Mbale and western Kenya by surprise. Most of the impounded fish included silver fish (mukene), Nile perch and tilapia.
The Bugiri fisheries officer, Deogratious Mwogererwa, said they had cautioned fishermen against using illegal fishing gear in vain. He said fishermen are required to use fishing nets of 10 millimetres but they were using those measuring five millimetres.
“Besides, the fishermen are required to fish two kilometres offshore but they fish one kilometre offshore.†Mwogererwa said most of the impounded fish will be given to prisoners and the rest will be burnt.
He added that over 100 illegal fishing nets had been burnt in the district since the beginning of the year and 90 fishermen had been arrested.