12 Kenyan fishermen arrested in Uganda
Fishermen on Lake Victoria. Photo/FILE
What you need to know:
- According to Ugandan officials, the fishermen were using monofilament gauze nets, which are illegal and dangerous to marine life.
Ugandan authorities have warned Kenyans against operating on their side of Lake Victoria.
This came after a three-day operation where Uganda security officers arrested 12 Kenyans suspected of using illegal fishing gears on the lake within Namayingo District, Uganda.
They are being held at Hema Police Station pending court hearing.
According to Mr Livingstone Kintu, the URA marine enforcement supervisor, the fishermen were using monofilament gauze nets, which are illegal and dangerous to marine life.
DWINDLING STOCK
“By using illegal fishing gears, they were violating the East African Customs Management Act Section 18 which forbids use of gears or traps to kill animals that don’t comply with the laws,” he said.
At least 7000 pieces, suspected to be worth USh500 million (KSh 17.5 milliom), were impounded in the operation around Hema Islands near the Kenyan border.
Mr Kintu said when the fish stocks in the Lake Victoria shrink, it doesn’t only lead to challenges in income generation among the fishers but also the government.
Uganda Fisheries Department statistics show that the Nile perch stock in Lake Victoria declined from 1.9 million tons to 1.2 million between 1999 and 2001 before dropping drastically to 544,000 tons in 2005.
It is estimated that the stocks dropped again to around 360,000 tons by 2009.
