|
|
 |
Citing sabotage by government officials, illicit trade in immature fish, defiance of the law by technical officials, weak laws that do not serve deterring punishments and use of illegal gear, sector authorities said the losses were to triple by the end of the year.
"Last year, we lost US$ 20 million in foreign exchange earnings. This year, we have already projected a loss of up to US$ 60 million," Head of Department, Fisheries Resources, Dr. Wilson Waiswa Mwanja, revealed in an interview Monday.
"Our fishing sector is collapsing. It requires an overhaul that goes with more funding if Uganda is to continue to earn from it," Mwanja told PANA.
Out of the 250,000 square kilometres of fresh water bodies, Uganda fish stocks plummeted due to lack of sanity in precious sector, often suffering from European markets due to poor handling and other malpractices.
Fisheries Minister, Fred Mukisa, confirmed the losses by listing the number one cause as gross abuse of the resource through the use of illegal gears and methods that are designed to crop fish of any size from the waters.
"These methods have destroyed both the young, which would be recruited in the fisheries stocks and the mother fish (brood stock), which produce the young, neede d to perpetuate the fisheries," Mukisa explains.
Mukisa further attributed the collapse of the fisheries sector to sabotage by technical officials in his ministry, saying they were grossly indisciplined, prompting him to undertake restructuring measures.
"They have hijacked the political leadership role and no longer want to take orders," Mukisa lamented, pointing out that "all the mess of having multitudes of agencies masquerading as fisheries managers was brought about by errant technical directives.
"To eliminate fishing illegalities, reduce effort and control illicit trade in immature fish, I will need people who are up to the job not just that they have been in civil service for long.
"Their actions amount to sabotage; they want to fail government's efforts to revamp the economy. No one is going and can hold this government at ransom or use technicalities to purposely defeat the course of government.
"We are faced with a collapsing fishery on our hands and I am not going to have incompetent managers on flimsy excuses and technicalities appointed."
Mukisa decried the weak laws, saying hey were not deterrent enough as offenders were repeatedly arrested and given cash fines which they are always ready to pay
and immediately return to commit the same crimes.
"Fishermen will never feel any pain to pay a cash fine of up to US$ 1,000. The only punishment a fisherman fears is imprisonment. We have confirmed this out of research on behaviours and characteristics in fishing communities," Mukisa said.
He said: "Currently there is need for a complete overhaul and review of the recr uitment exercise that is open, based on the current needs to reverse the collapse of the fisheries sector."
|
|
|
 Share your opinion or read the 0 comments written
 Print version
 Sent to a friend |
| |
| |
| |
| |
| |
| |
Top |
| |
| |
|
| |
| |
|
|
|
|
|