The recent exodus of fishermen involved in the mukene (silverfish) trade from Lake Victoria’s landing sites and islands has raised significant concerns. This protest follows the government’s new policy on fishing methods.
In a statement dated February 20, 2024, the State Minister for Fisheries, Ms. Hellen Adoa, announced the ban on the “hurry-up” fishing method for mukene and mandated the use of the chota-chota (scoop net) method across all water bodies in Uganda. Ms. Adoa explained that the “hurry-up” method is destructive, as it indiscriminately captures all fish species, including juvenile Nile Perch, leading to lake depletion.
The directive to enforce the chota-chota method has been misinterpreted by some fishermen as a total ban on mukene fishing. This misunderstanding has driven many to abandon the mukene trade or relocate to neighboring Tanzania, where the banned method remains in use.
In Kalangala District, 1,500 of the 3,000 boats previously used for mukene fishing are currently operational at 12 landing sites, according to Jackson Baguma, the district production officer. “The departure of these fishermen has caused a mukene shortage, leading to a price increase. However, this is temporary, and fish populations will regenerate in the coming months,” Baguma told Monitor on June 3.
At Lwaazi Landing Site in Bubeke Sub-county, the number of boats catching mukene has plummeted from 300 to just 10. The area, once home to over 5,000 people involved in the trade, has seen at least 4,000 leave, as reported by Charles Kalemba, the sub-county chairperson. Currently, one kilogram of mukene costs between Shs12,000 and Shs15,000, up from Shs5,000 six months ago.
In Mazinga Sub-county, bordering Tanzania, sub-county chairperson Sunday Gerald Kayita noted that over 80 percent of mukene fishermen have moved to Tanzania with their boats. “The remaining 20 percent of boats are deteriorating at landing sites. The business is severely impacted, and we may soon be unable to hold council meetings due to lack of funds, as mukene trade was a major revenue source,” he said. Much of the mukene currently sold in Ugandan markets is imported from Tanzania.
Rajab Semakula, the Kalangala District chairperson, highlighted that many mukene traders were non-Ugandans who had also established other businesses like eateries, bars, and shops, which have closed following their departure. “These nationals from Tanzania, Rwanda, and Burundi were making significant money, sending some home and investing the rest here,” Semakula said.
The district’s revenue from landing fee taxes has dropped from Shs8.4 million to Shs3 million monthly due to the ongoing exodus of mukene traders. However, Semakula is optimistic that with the business now predominantly in Ugandan hands, revenue collections will eventually increase.
Emmanuel Mange, the chairperson of the Nile Landing Site in Njeru Municipality, Buikwe District, pointed out that the chota-chota method is suitable for lakes with slow and shallow waters but not for the fast-flowing waters of the River Nile. “This is why mukene fishers here had to suspend operations; the new method is unworkable,” he said.
Aaron Afugan, the chairperson of Kikondo Landing Site in Njeru Municipality, Buikwe District, reported that about 1,000 people have lost their jobs due to the ban on the “hurry-up” method. “Fishers here have returned to their villages as they cannot use the banned method,” he said.
Mukene fisherman Ismail Anguyo, 35, managed three boats with seven workers, but since the ban, the boats have remained tied up at Kikondo Landing Site. Fishermen, under their umbrella body, the Association of Fishermen and Lake Users (AFALU), have petitioned the government to establish a uniform policy on mukene fishing across the East African Community.
