The government has announced that a fishing ban imposed on Lake Kyoga will be lifted within the next three weeks.
The Uganda People’s Defense Forces-UPDF Fisheries Protection Unit and the Ministry of Agriculture imposed a ban on all fishing activities at Lake Kyoga in 2019, as one of the measures to stop illegal fishing and encourage restocking.
Lieutenant Colonel Benon Namanya, the commander of the Fisheries Protection Unit for Nakasongola district says that Lake Kyoga has now been cleared of illegal fishing activities by 80%.
Now the State Minister for Fisheries Hellen Ondoa has announced that following the success recorded in operations against illegal fishing, the ban will be lifted.
Ondoa says that they had planned to lift the ban on Wednesday, July 1, but the fishermen were not prepared to resume fishing activities with recommended tools.
Muhammad Kayondo, a fisherman at Lwampanga Landing Site says that fishermen had been rendered jobless after the ban while others drowned after they sneaked into the Lake to carry out illegal fishing for survival.
But Robert Lukwago another fisherman fears that with all the conditions imposed on them, they are unlikely to benefit from the lifting of the ban.
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