The government has restricted mukene fishing to 14 days a month and introduced new conditions for fishing vessels as part of measures to regulate fishing activities on Uganda’s water bodies.
State Minister for Fisheries Robert Migadde Ndugwa announced the guidelines at the Uganda Media Centre in Kampala, outlining new licensing requirements for fishers targeting mukene, ragoogi and muziri.
Under the guidelines, fishing will be permitted for only 14 days from the beginning of the dark phase of the moon each month. Fishing vessels must operate at least two kilometres from the shoreline and avoid fish breeding grounds and other restricted areas.
The government has also maintained the ban on solar-powered fishing lights and lampara nets. Each vessel will be allowed a maximum of two kerosene-powered lanterns and one scoop net with a mesh size of at least eight millimetres.
Fishing boats must be at least 24 feet long and carry no more than two crew members.
Ndugwa said only fishers who held a silver fish fishing licence in 2023, 2024, 2025 or 2026 will qualify to operate under the new guidelines.
Boat owners will be required to present their vessels and fishing equipment for inspection before obtaining licences. Applicants must also provide proof of Ugandan citizenship, vessel ownership and previous fishing licences.
Landing Site Fisheries Management Committees will recommend eligible applicants to District Fisheries Officers for verification before the Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries grants final approval.
The guidelines give traditional fishing communities preferential access to licences within their areas, while foreign fishing vessels remain prohibited from fishing in Ugandan waters.
The annual licensing process will begin with recommendations in November, followed by inspections in December and licensing between January and March.
The ministry has directed fishers not to operate without valid licences and says enforcement agencies will monitor compliance with the new requirements.
