Minister Adoa threatens to arrest corrupt officials on lakes
She said most illegal fishermen are wealthy individuals who use their influence to engage in illegal fishing practices without any restraint.
By Pascal Onega
Buliisa: The Minister of State for Fisheries, Hon. Hellen Adoa, has threatened to arrest and expose corrupt officials who have opted to impound immature fish on trucks and sell them in other places.
She was speaking during the commemoration of the belated World Fisheries Day held on Wednesday at the Ndandamire Primary School playground in Kiyere Cell Wanseko town council Buliisa District.
The day was commemorated under the theme of promoting responsible fishing methods, increased household incomes, and better lives.
The minister narrated that most illegal fishermen are wealthy individuals who use their influence to engage in illegal fishing practices without any restraint.
Adoa revealed that most of the highly connected illegal fishermen smuggle immature fish to neighboring countries, where they are cleared, repacked, and sealed as goods in transit before being transported back into the country.
The minister also asked the district leadership in the fishing communities across the country to come up with laws to control and block all the trucks moving out of the district with immature fish.
On the same note, Minister Adoa asked fishing communities to own the lake and protect the aquatic species for future generations. ‘’Kindly own the lake and protect the aquatic species for future generations,’’ she asked.
James Kagoro, a fisherman at the Wanseko landing site, is appealing to the government to provide them with standard fishing gear and revive the fish factory, which was in Butiaba, saying this will improve their house income.
He also appealed to the government to ban night fishing, mostly those using solar lamps, asserting that it affects fishing on the lake and depletes fish species.
Kenneth Atugonza, another fisherman from Kalolo landing site, stressed the need for the Ugandan and DR Congo to pen down an agreement on fishing on the Lake Albert, noting that in most cases, when the Ugandan authorities ban fishing on the lake, their counterparts in the DRC continue, thus affecting their yield.
Atugonza also appealed to the government to protect the fishermen on Lake Albert since, in most cases, fishermen from the DRC confiscate their fishing gear and demand ransom at the end of the day.
‘’We are appealing for the intervention since the boundary between Uganda and the DRC is clear. Fishermen from the DRC attack us, confiscate our fishing gear, demand ransom at the end of the day, and we incur costs at the end,’’ he added.
The event was also attended by the fishing fraternities from the districts of Pakwatch, Hoima, and Buliisa, among others, as well as political leaders.
The World Fisheries Day is celebrated on November 21st annually and presents an opportunity for stakeholders in the fishing industry to reflect on the state of the fisheries resource.
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