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Fishermen want the government to come up with a standard procedure of guiding on how to catch the Nkolongo fish
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Fishermen at Katosi landing site want the government to lift the ban on catching of cynodon dactylon flying fish commonly known as Nkolongo.
In 2017, the Fisheries Protection Unit-FPU banned catching of the fish around Lake Victoria and other water bodies citing improper use of fishing nets.
To catch cynodon, fishermen need 3.5-inch fishing nets which the unit abolished and recommended 5-inch nets for tilapia and 7 inch for Nile perch to avoid illegal fishing specifically catching of immature fish.
Noah Kizza who has practised fishing for over thirty years says cynodon contributed much to their sustainability.
“Whenever cynodon dactylon flying fish multiplies in the lake, it scares away other species leaving most of the fishermen almost catching nothing for survival.”
Jesca Namubiru, a resident and fish dealer at Katosi says life at the landing site is now becoming too hard for them due to the scarcity of Nile perch and tilapia that used to be their major source of income. She says that whenever the season for the cynodon could come, it could boost their income as well.
The Mukono Fisheries Officer Rhomulus Mulumba says that rather than ban the fish species, the government should come up with a standard procedure of guiding fishermen on how to catch the fish.
“When other species try to turn it into prey, a cynodon sprays its hard spines against them. So common species currently such as the Nile perch have adapted them as enemies making it hard to co-exist in the lake. This means that fishermen are left to bank on nothing. Nile perch get scarce and it is also illegal to catch the cynodon.” Mulumba explains.
Mulumba also explains that cynodon dactylon flying fish is seasonal and keeps moving from different parts of the lake to another depending on weather patterns at Katosi, Cynodons are common from March to May.
The Mukono Resident District Commissioner Fatuma Ndisaba Nabitaka has requested fishermen to make a formal report explaining how the ban has affected them at landing sites and also outline possible means they can use to catch the flying fish without involving in illegal fishing.
She has also warned them to avoid catching the said fish without authorization to avoid clashing with the army.
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