Burning of illegal fishing nets is common around Lake Kyoga. A quick visit to the different landing sites on the lake in Nakasongola district quickly revealed the consequences of illegal fishing. There was hardly any fish on the sail at most of the landing sites. “We lost jobs and abandoned the lake as we resorted to farming. We only go to it in search of food/source, not for money.” Sailing around the lake gave an idea of just how depleted the supply of fish had become. The Lake covers an area of 1,720 Km2 and is bordered by 15 districts. Nakasongola district took the largest share of the Lake with 24 landing sites. Other districts include Apach, Kayunga, Kamuli, Amurata among others.
Fishing is usually done at night but some fishermen come out during the day. “The main reason as to why there is a depletion of fish is because most people do fishing during the day than at night.” These men usually use nets known as Spark and Kokota to catch the fish. The Kokota fishing net does not spare any fish size. “The Police knows very well the markets where these illegal fishing nets are sold for example in Nabugabo, and in Kikubbo. They also know how these nets are smuggled but they have still failed to stop the exercise.” “The Police enforcers sent to the Lake arrest us, detain us in their Police Posts from which they demand money ranging from 100,000 – 200,000 Uganda shillings. They then sell off both the fish and the nets recovered during the arrests.” This kind of net is aided by a long stick the fishermen call Tycoon. The Tycoon is used to get the fish to the top so that they can be easily be caught by the net. “Whenever he strikes the Tycoon in the water like that, it causes the water to spike thus threatening the fish to run and eventually be trapped in their fishing nets.”
At different points in the Lake one notices floating vegetation which is used by the fishermen to mark their territories. The vegetation is tied to sacks of sand to make sure that it keeps them afloat and remains in one place. “The clusters of vegetation that you have seen and supported by sand that keeps them afloat. But they are got from the Swamps where the fish would go and breed from. So they transfer them to the Lake and protect them with soil to protect against movement. This act has also brought a challenge to the fish now lacking a breeding place because their co-existing breeding point in the Swamps have been destroyed.” Apart from floating vegetation, the fishermen also use tree stems, branches, and many other means to clearly mark out their territories. “The trees that you have seen are used to mark fishing territories. The owner cuts them from external areas of the Lake and then plant them in his territory on the Lake. You are therefore not allowed to fish in his clearly marked territory, it is a very big crime as he can as well kill you.” “They transport the tree stems during the day on either trucks or bulls that pull them to the Lake then they insert/plant them in the Lake. We no longer have the authority to intervene and we also don’t have security.”
Walusimbi Musisi, a member of the enforcement team said that the fishermen were forced to mark their territories because fish had become very scarce in the lake. “Because very many people have died and there are reported cases at the Police Station. They come along with pangas, spears, bow, and arrows, and they spend much of their time protecting their territories as they don’t want anyone to fish there.” “They have ever attacked us here when they mobilized them against us claiming that we interfere with their work.” “Some people have decided to own some portions of the Lake disguising that it belongs to them. But what is behind that one, what they do is that; actually the ship branches of trees and sand to create a so-called Kibanja or plot.”
Nakasongola district has been getting 35 million shillings quarterly in revenue from Lake Kyoga but since the year began, this is no more. The Chairperson Sam Kibula was clear about who was responsible for this. “...create fish guards, am going to exonerate Marine Police from especially Kawongo that actually goes round to collect money from those people on preaches that they are going to protect them to be in their plots where they get the immature fish from.” In February this year, UPDF soldiers were deployed to curb illegal fishing on Lake Kyoga. Captain Benon Namanya the Enforcement Leader said their operations were mostly held around landing sites. But said that there would be more operations on the Lake soon. “The priority was on Lake Victoria, now from Lake Victoria they are about to finish, they will join me on Lake Kyoga very soon.” For generations, many families had depended on the Lake for their survival but with the current state of affairs, it was not clear how the future would be for the communities that live around the Lake.
