The Commander of the UPDF Fisheries Protection Unit (FPU), Lt. Col. Dick Kaija, has advised fishing communities to adhere to the recommended guidelines to avoid being implicated.

Lt. Col. Dick Kaija, the head of FPU on Tuesday, June 20th, 2023, told Nexus Media during an exclusive interview that fishing communities must adhere to the guidelines to avoid being implicated in illegal fishing activities.

According to Kaija, one must be a registered fisherman before engaging in fishing activities on any water body in the country.

He said the ongoing operation aims to turn the fisheries industry into the first contributing sector to the economy.

“Before one becomes a fisherman, he must be registered by the authority, have or use standard fishing boats, a minimum of 28 feet, and possess legal fishing gear, standard hooks, and Mukene mesh nets of standard size, then register and acquire a vessel fishing license,” said Lt. Col. Kaija.

Lt. Col. Kaija said any fishing boat below 28 feet is regarded as illegal, and one must possess a license to operate successfully.

He adds that a silver-fish fisherman should not operate or fish near the shoreline or breeding area.

“For other fish, one must have a minimum of five-inch gill nets for tilapia, six-inch gill nets for Nile perch, and hooks from number one to nine. All those boats found fishing outside of the above requirements are impounded,” said Lt. Col. Kaija.

The Unit has been impounding several items, including undersized nets, vehicles, and motor cycles, from illegal fish dealers across the country.

Recently, while addressing parliament at Kololo Independence Grounds, President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni listed the fishing sector as the second-largest contributing industry to the economy.