HOIMA, UGANDA; Fishermen in various landing sites on Lake Albert in Bunyoro sub-region wants the army top Officials to institute a special committee to investigate the Fisheries Protection Unit (FPU) operatives deployed on the lake to combat illegal fishing for allegedly selling premature fish in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
The FPU has been conducting operations on Lake Albert against illegal fishing however fishermen on various landing sites say that the impounded premature fish by the FPU is ending up in the DRC fish markets.
According to the aggrieved fishermen, the FPU operatives are conniving with boat transporters both in Uganda and the DRC to quietly sneak their impounded premature fish to the DRC through Lake Albert waters which they’ve seriously condemned.
Robert Mujuni the chairperson of the fishing Community at Kaiso landing site in Hoima District says it is unfortunate that the army deployed to curb the illegal fishing activity is again involved in a dubious act hence calling for an immediate investigation on the officers.
“The premature fish impounded by the FPU operatives is always transported at night to the DRC and so we are asking the government of Uganda to intervene on this matter since it is an illegal act”. Said Mujuni.
Kasim Agaba another fisherman at Kaiso landing site wonders why the top commanders of the FPU operatives have failed to monitor the work of their operatives while at the lake.
“If these operatives were supervised, they couldn’t be selling the impounded fish to the DRC but since they are not well supervised, they are doing what they want”
One of the boat transporter at Ssebagoro landing site in Kikuube District told our reporter that he has ever transported the impounded fish to the DRC twice given to him by the FPU operatives.
“The impounded fish is taken to Somea and other fish markets in Ituri province and other parts of the DRC,” Said the transporter.
Lieutenant Lauben Ndifula the FPU spokesperson has dismissed such allegations being made by the fishermen saying that the fishermen are not happy with the operations of the FPU and therefore they have created an allegation that can tarnish their image before the public.
“Those people are not happy with our operations, so they have to create an allegation to spoil our image but we are aware of that and we are not going to stop our operations until fishing malpractices ended”. Says Ndifula.
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