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Masaka, Uganda | URN | The ongoing enforcement of a ban on the fishing of silverfish, locally known as mukene, is taking a heavy toll on communities at landing sites in Masaka district.
Fishermen and local leaders in Bukakata Sub-county, which hosts the most landing sites in the district, are appealing to the government to reconsider restrictions on silverfish fishing, arguing that hundreds of livelihoods are at stake.
In 2024, the government amended the Fisheries and Aquaculture Act as part of efforts to streamline the fishing sector and eliminate illegal fishing practices. Last year, the Minister of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries issued regulations to operationalise the law, which many fishermen now describe as a threat to their survival.
Harriet Nampijja, a silverfish trader at Kachanga Landing Site in Bukakata Sub-county, says the new law has introduced harsh restrictions across the silverfish supply chain, leaving many people without jobs.
According to Nampijja, boats and fishing gear previously used for silverfish fishing were deregistered and ordered off the landing sites, directly affecting hundreds of traders and fishermen who have depended on the trade for years.
Under the amended law, the office of the Chief Fisheries Officer was established with powers to register fishing vessels, issue permits and licences, regulate fishing methods, and determine the number of vessels allowed at each landing site.
Nampijja argues that the law grants excessive authority to the Chief Fisheries Officer, who now decides which types of fish may be caught at specific landing sites without consulting the affected communities.
Joseph Ssebaggala, a fisherman at Lambu Landing Site, also in Bukakata Sub-county, says the restrictions on silverfish fishing have already left many people unemployed. He warns that the strict enforcement of the law could fuel criminal activity both on the lake and in surrounding communities, as affected residents struggle to survive.
Ssebaggala has appealed to the government to allow local fisheries management committees to develop tailored regulations that suit their communities instead of enforcing what he describes as a generalised law that is destroying livelihoods.
Gerald Lubezi, the Masaka District Councillor representing Bukakata Sub-county, has asked the government to first provide alternative sources of livelihood for affected fishermen before fully enforcing the law.
