The fishing communities around Lake Victoria have been urged to preserve the water body by creating breeding grounds and also start cage fishing farming.
Defence Minister Vincent Ssempijja says there is a deficit of fish stocks yet the demand from the growing population and neighbouring countries is high.
“Once people create breeding grounds and take steps to fill the gaps through starting cage fish farming, this will reduce the depilation of the different fish species in Lake Victoria. This will also help create mature harvests which bring in more profits through exports while the surplus from cages will be fed on the community,” he says.
UPDF officers and residents cleaning Masese landing site market.
Ssempijja made the call on Sunday while officiating at the Defence Army Week celebrations at Walukuba Community Health Centre IV in Jinja city.
The Defence Force Week is conducted every year with several activities including sanitation activities, civil engineering, medical outreaches and ideological orientation and is a precursor to Tare Sita.
Tarehe Sita is a Swahili word meaning the sixth day, which in this context is the day of February 6,1981, when the war to fight the government born out of the disputed 1980 elections was launched with an attack on Kabamba Military Barracks.
The activities will be carried out in the districts of Bugiri Bugweri, Buyende, Iganga, Jinja, Kaliro, Kamuli, Luuka, Mayuge, Namayingo, Namutumba and Jinja City.
This year’s Tarehe Sita celebrations will be held in Bugweri district in Busoga region.
He explained that the lake should be handled with consideration because it hasn’t expanded yet the population which has increased to almost 50 million people needs to be fed.
He urged the communities to work closely with the Fisheries Protection Unit (FPU) to preserve and protect the lake to allow mature fish to reproduce.
He explained that the Government, through the agriculture ministry is giving out to organised communities fishing inputs, which can be used to start cage fish farming.
“The FPU is there to protect the lake, if we leave everybody to storm the lake, If FPU does not control the lake, it will be depleted of all the fish stocks yet we need to preserve them,” he said.
He cited an example of Lake Wamala from Masaka district, which used to have the most delicious and expensive fish in Uganda but due to lack of control measures, it was depleted.
Fishermen get lifejackets
Lt Reuben Ndifula, the FPU spokesperson, said in a bid to create a good working relationship with the UPDF, they have donated 100 lifejackets to the fishing community at Masese landing site in Jinja city.
Ndifula added that the gesture was for the fishermen to be mindful and protect their lives while on the lake.
“There is no way you can go on the lake without a lifejacket, this donation is to demonstrate how precious life is. Always use the life jackets and also support the FPU during their operations to clean up the lake,” he said.
He urged the communities to appreciate the existence of the FPU on Lake Victoria and also support their activities and operations.
Philly Kudera, the regional chairperson of the Association of Fisheries and Lake Users (AFALU), hailed the UPDF for the donation of the life jackets. He urged the communities to put them to the right use as they use the lake.
Landing site cleaned
Col Justus Rukundo, the overseer of the Tarehe Sita activities in Jinja, while engaging the communities, led the UPDF to clean the Masese landing site and the market as a way of demonstrating to the community that they should operate in a clean environment
