Following the expiry of the deadline for registration of fishermen across the country, the government is set to deny all non-compliant fishers access to the water bodies.
Registration of fishers and boats is done every two years and the last exercise was conducted last year while licensing is done annually.
The registration and licensing of fishers is partly intended to regulate fishing and avert depletion of fish stocks as a result of illegal fishing methods.
Mr Jimmy Atyang, the assistant commissioner for fisheries control, regulation and quality assurance, said renewal and issuance of new licences kicked off in January and ends on March 31.
“ Those [fisheries] who will be caught fishing without valid licences after March 31 will be considered as illegal fishers and when we conduct a fisheries compliance enforcement exercise, all those who have deliberately failed to acquire licenses will be denied access to the water bodies,” he said during an interview on Monday.
Mr Atyang said fishers who registered their boats last year but failed to acquire licences, will this year be forced to pay arrears.
According to the ministry, boat owners must have the recommended size of boats and fishing gear, Tax Identification Numbers and National Identity cards. Boat owners who are not fishermen need to first secure fishing licenses for their fishermen in order to be registered.
“If a fisherman registered last year and did not get a license, we assume that he has been fishing. So, such a person has to pay arrears before getting a licence for 2023,” he said.
Mr Sam Sebuliba, a fisherman at Kitobo Landing Site in Kalangala District, said they support the government efforts to license boats although they are given little time to look for the money.
“This whole process [of registering and licensing boats] requires money but whenever it is conducted, we are given little time to pay the money and those who fail, end up being locked out,” he said, adding, “We request the ministry to leave it open so that we can acquire licences any time one gets the money.”
Mr Emmanual Mange, the chairperson of Njeru –Nile Landing Site in Buikwe District, said his members paid for licences two years ago but the ministry has yet to issue them out.