Lake Victoria Fishing Committees Seek Review of Boat Limit, Reopening of Landing Sites

What the report says

Fishing committees in Busoga are urging the government to review a rule limiting each Lake Victoria landing site to 66 boats, saying the cap is complicating registration and deepening tension among fishers. According to Nile Post, the concern is strongest in Mayuge District, where more than 30 landing sites remain closed as enforcement against illegal fishing continues.

The committees were created about three months ago after President Yoweri Museveni directed fishermen to form local structures to help curb illegal fishing. Committee leaders from Mayuge, Namayingo, Jinja and nearby areas say they have worked with security teams, including the 155 Marines Brigade, but argue that a uniform boat limit does not reflect the size or capacity of individual landing sites. They say fishers with boats above the cap are asking where they can operate, especially where alternative landing sites are unavailable.

Mayuge fisheries committee chair Sadam Olwiita said the policy is making it harder to complete registration at some sites, while another committee member, Kiseka, said his efforts to enforce the rules have drawn threats and harassment. The article also notes that joint operations in the area recently seized boats and prohibited gear used in illegal fishing, which authorities say helps protect fish stocks.

The district’s assistant resident commissioner warned that committee members who cooperate with illegal fishing would be removed. Nile Post reported that officials plan to review the landing site committees’ performance in October, while the committees want the government to align the boat limit with local conditions so compliant fishermen are not penalized.