Kalangala Reopens Fishing Sites After Eight-Year Ban, Warns Against Illegal Practices

After eight years without fishing activity, boats and fishing nets returned to Lulindi and Kagoonya landing sites on May 25 as authorities in Kalangala District officially allowed operations to resume.

However, district leaders warned fishermen that any return to illegal fishing would lead to another closure of the sites.

Resident District Commissioner Fred Badda issued a strong warning, saying authorities would take strict action against landing sites that continue protecting fishermen involved in unlawful fishing activities.

“We shall not tolerate any landing site that shelters fishermen carrying out illegal fishing in Kalangala,” Badda said. “If even one person is found breaking the law, that landing site will be shut down again until discipline is restored.”

The two landing sites, located in Bufumira Sub-county, were among several closed in 2017 during operations conducted by the Fisheries Protection Unit. They have now been reopened after fishermen committed themselves to following fisheries regulations.

Badda explained that illegal fishing continues to threaten efforts aimed at restoring fish populations in Lake Victoria.“We are working hard to revive fish stocks in the lake, and illegal fishing only frustrates those efforts,” he noted.

New fisheries management committees have since been elected at both landing sites. These committees will work alongside parish, sub-county, and district fisheries structures with support from the UPDF 155 Battalion. The groups consist mainly of local fishermen who volunteered to help eliminate illegal fishing within their communities.

Authorities also warned that both fishermen and committee leaders would face consequences if regulations are ignored. Fishermen caught violating the law will be prosecuted, while committee members who fail to enforce the rules risk being removed from office.

The long closure greatly affected livelihoods in Lulindi. Chairperson Tadius Mwesigwa said many families slipped into poverty, forcing some children out of school because fishing had been the main source of income.

“We became very poor and many children dropped out of school because fishermen had no work,” Mwesigwa said.

Some residents turned to farming for survival, although most only accessed land suitable for low-income crops such as beans, rice, and soybeans.

Before the 2017 crackdown, Lulindi had over 50 boats, many of them too small and used for illegal fishing. Today, only 10 approved boats are operating legally, though residents have started purchasing timber to construct boats that meet the required standards.

“They have started buying timber to build boats allowed on the lake,” Mwesigwa said. “We hope these measures will help create a cleaner and more productive lake where people can again earn a decent living.”

Local leaders estimate that the current 10 boats directly support more than 30 people through activities such as fishing, fuel supply, boat repairs, and net preparation.

District Fisheries Officer Adrian Kavuma said illegal fishing gear remains one of the biggest dangers facing fish stocks in Lake Victoria.

“For example, illegal nets catch around 250 million immature fish every day, putting valuable species like Nile Perch at serious risk,” Kavuma explained.

He said fishermen commonly use cheap and often homemade equipment such as monofilament nets, beach seines, and undersized gill nets, which trap immature tilapia and Nile Perch before they can reproduce.

“If we can save 250 million fish every day over six years, Lake Victoria will recover with enough fish stock for the future,” Kavuma said.