The government of Uganda is set to deny access to water bodies to all non-compliant fishers following the expiry of the deadline for the registration of fishermen across the country. The process of registering fishermen and boats is conducted every two years and the last exercise was done last year. On the other hand, licensing is done annually. The main objective of the registration and licensing of fishermen is to regulate fishing and prevent the depletion of fish stocks due to illegal fishing methods.
Assistant Commissioner for Fisheries Control, Regulation, and Quality Assurance, Mr. Jimmy Atyang, stated that the renewal and issuance of new licenses started in January and will end on March 31st. He added that all those who are caught fishing without valid licenses after March 31st will be considered as illegal fishers and will be denied access to the water bodies when the fisheries compliance enforcement exercise is conducted.
Boat owners must have the recommended size of boats and fishing gear, Tax Identification Numbers, and National Identity cards. Non-fishermen who own boats must first secure fishing licenses for their fishermen to be registered. Boat owners who fail to acquire licenses this year will be forced to pay arrears. According to available statistics from the Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry, and Fisheries, 14,600 boats have been registered on Lake Victoria, of which 9,306 are licensed, accounting for 64 percent of the registered boats. On Lake Kyoga, 5,515 boats are licensed out of the 6,550 registered, and on Lake Albert, only 1625 boats are licensed out of the 5,075 registered.
The registration, licensing, and re-issuance of permanent boat identification number plates have simplified the development of a national database for all boat owners in the country. The government’s first attempt to register fishermen and boat owners was in 2011, but the program stalled due to a lack of funds. The Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry, and Fisheries had set Shs100,000 as the annual license fee for small boats and Shs200,000 for large-scale fishing boats. However, last year, the ministry announced new fees, with any vessel operating on lakes such as Victoria, Albert, Kyoga, Edward, George, and Wamala required to pay Shs100,000 as the license fee, while vessels on Lake Nakivale and other minor lakes are charged Shs50,000.
In conclusion, the licensing and registration of fishers in Uganda is aimed at regulating fishing and preventing the depletion of fish stocks, which has resulted in a decline in Uganda’s exports. The deadline for the registration of fishers has now expired, and the government will deny access to water bodies to all non-compliant fishers. Fishermen who support the government’s efforts to license boats have requested more time to pay the money. The registration, licensing, and re-issuance of boat identification number plates have simplified the development of a national database for all boat owners in the country.
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