Abstract:
Fishers on Lake Albert prefer to assume that the two forms of Nile perch are the same and grow to very small sizes that should not be subjected to the legal slot size and gill net mesh sizes. The two species have been over-fished in most areas of the lake, and just like in Lake Victoria where "mukene" is fished, there has emerged in Lake Albert, light fishing (use of lamps) to capture two such smaller pelagic fishes locally known as "muziri" and "ragoge". An operation carried out to fight illegal fishing revealed that with determination and zero-tolerance to corruption, illegal and destructive fishing methods and gears may be eliminated from the Uganda side of the lake. However, there are other socio-economic and management factors that need to be considered, including reduction in both fishing effort and post-harvest losses, as well as cross-border fishing