The proposed regulations include landing site committees to reduce reliance on military enforcement, tighter boat registration rules and penalties of up to three years in prison or Shs20 million for illegal fishing.
The government plans to return some fisheries management responsibilities to fishermen through landing site committees, in a shift from an enforcement system that has relied heavily on the military to police fishing activities.
State Minister for Fisheries Robert Migadde Ndugwa says the Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries has finalised regulations to operationalise the Fisheries and Aquaculture Act, 2023, and will present them to Cabinet for consideration.
Migadde made the disclosure while appearing before Parliament’s Committee on Subsidiary Legislation, where he explained the proposed measures intended to improve fisheries management and combat illegal fishing.
“While the Act establishes the overarching legal and institutional framework for the fisheries and aquaculture subsector, a number of its provisions require detailed regulations to prescribe procedures, standards, requirements and enforcement mechanisms necessary for effective implementation,” Migadde said.
Parliament passed the Fisheries and Aquaculture Act in 2023 to strengthen the management of fisheries and aquaculture and address illegal fishing. However, implementation has been delayed by the absence of regulations needed to operationalise several provisions.
Under the proposed arrangements, Landing Site Committees will oversee fishing activities and assume some responsibilities currently exercised by security personnel, with the government hoping to reduce tensions between fishermen and the military.
Migadde said the government would work with existing elected landing site councils rather than allow fresh elections that could produce leaders implicated in illegal fishing.
“Honourable members, we have been having challenges of fishermen conducting elections and electing their friends who are ring leaders in conducting illegal fishing. This time, we shall be using the already elected councils on the landing sites to reduce cases of the military around those landing sites,” he said.
The regulations also propose changes to boat sizes, particularly for fishermen targeting mukene. The permitted boat length would be reduced from 29 feet to 24 feet, while boats operating on smaller water bodies would be restricted to 15 feet.
The government also intends to register boats authorised to operate at each landing site, giving priority to owners who have been paying licence fees. Registration of new boats would be suspended for two years under the proposed arrangements.
Migadde also warned that the government intended to impose tougher penalties on fishermen caught engaging in illegal fishing.
“Government is going to be very tough this time on those fishermen who will be caught in illegal fishing by slapping them with three years’ imprisonment or a fine of Shs20 million,” he said.
However, Members of Parliament raised concerns about the proposed boat registration arrangements and other provisions in the regulations that are awaiting Cabinet consideration.
The government also plans to introduce restrictions on the use of nuni, a fishing method in which fish are cut into smaller pieces before being sold to processing factories.
Migadde called for a reduction in the tax imposed on nuni, currently reported at seven per cent, arguing that the levy puts Ugandan operators at a competitive disadvantage compared with those in other East African countries.
The proposed regulations are expected to provide detailed procedures for implementing the 2023 law, although their provisions will need to complete the required approval process before taking effect.