Uganda’s silverfish fishermen have asked the government to lift the ban on Mukene fishing, pledging to adopt the new ‘Eight Point Program’ for legal and sustainable fishing.
The call came during the Annual General Meeting of the Silverfishers Trade and Exporters Forum Uganda (STEF Uganda), on Tuesday 2nd June at Kasenyi Landing Site.
“We are not against regulation. We accept the Eight Point Program,” a Forum President Kiggundu said at the AGM. “Give us a chance to fish legally under those guidelines. This landing site alone supports over 1,000 people who are now out of work.”
The Fisheries Protection Unit banned the hurry-up method in May 2024, saying it uses illegal seine and cast nets that catch immature fish. Since then, youths at Kasenyi Landing Site in Katabi town council and others across the shores of the lake report abandoning fishing to seek government help for small businesses.
The Forum chairperson, Amiri Kiggundu said the ban is hurting agriculture too. Silverfish is a key ingredient in pig and poultry feed under the Parish Development Model.
“If we don’t allow silverfish fishing, we are indirectly sabotaging the entire system,” he said. “But with the Eight Point Program, we can fish responsibly and protect the lake.”
Kiggundu emphasised the need for the government to listen to the silver fishers and accept the eight-point program because the community is facing severe hardships, and therefore calls for the government’s intervention and review of current regulations.
The Eight Point Program outlines standards for approved gear, licensing, catch handling, and quality control, including the reduction of the size of fishing nets to allow juvenile fish to grow, using four lights from the lake, establishing a fishing holiday, and removing certain days from the month offishing among others.
Shafic Kagimu, the head of programs at FIAN Uganda emphasized the need for acoherent policy environment where regulations complement each other.
He appeals to the government to ensure silver fish people can continue fishing and for clear guidelines because the ban on silver fish is not sustainable as it may lead to overfishing of other species,” saying, “If one day, the silver fish people tend to go onto nile parch, it means we are going to be depleting the lake.”
Kagimu also stressed the importance of responsible fishing to ensure the lake’s survival for future generations.
“We need the lake to survive, and the lake has been in existence for quite long. People have depended on the lake and have left, and we also have to leave it for the generation that comes after us. So let’s all abide by the guidelines put, and these guidelines should be based up by research, and they should be able to conserve and sustain the resource,” he concluded.
Fishermen say the impact of enforcement has been severe. “Ever since the army came to the lake in 2016, residents have been crying,” said Okech Richard from Ziiru, Buvuma. “We are ready to follow all the regulations.”
In addition, he emphasized that the community accepts the Eight Point Program and just wants a clear way to fish legally again. However, the Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries (MAAIF) has not set a date for reopening.
Grace Nakintu, a businesswoman dealing in mukene, criticised past inconsistencies. Fishermen were told to switch from the harriup to the kyotakyota method before the FPU briefly reversed the ban for 2-4 days. “We need clear, lasting regulations. The Eight Point Program can be that solution,” she said.
Silverfishermen at Kasenyi and other landing sites say they are ready to comply with the Eight Point Program and are waiting for government’s green light to resume work.
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