Abstract:

The fisheries of Lake Kyoga basin contribute significantly to the livelihoods of riparian people in terms of employment, household incomes, food and security nutrition as well as foreign exchange. The Kyoga basin is composed mainly of two major lakes: Kyoga and Kwania. The two lakes are fairly well studied compared to more than 30 minor ones with scanty fisheries information. Estimates of annual fish catches from Kyoga and Kwania were regularly updated by the Department of Fisheries Resources (DFR) between 1963 and 1989. In 2006, NaFIRRI made catch estimates based on ad hoc surveys on lakes Kyoga, Kwania and Nakuwa. In 2008, MAAIF through Department of Fisheries Resources carried out the first Frame and Catch assessment surveys on the Kyoga Basin lakes. In 2008, 2009 and 2013, NARO also carried out an Agricultural Technology and Agribusiness’ Advisory Services (ATAAS-funded) Catch and Frame surveys on major and minor water bodies in the Kyoga basin. The FS carried out on the Kyoga basin lakes was funded by the GIZ. The study was aimed at provide information on the fishing effort and fish landing site facilities utilised by the fisherfolks. These efforts enabled estimation of fish crafts, fish gears, landing site facilities and the fishers in the fish value chain in lakes Kyoga, Kwania, Bisina and Nakuwa and some smaller lakes (Gawa, Gigati, Kawi, Lemwa, Meito, Nyaguo, Nyasala, and Opeta). Information available from the frame surveys conducted on lakes Kyoga and Kwania in 1991, 1997, 2002 and 2008 indicate that the number of landing sites on the two lakes increased from 266 in 1997 to 289 in 2002, in 245 up to 340 in 2008 until 2023. Despite the stability in number of landing sites, the total number of fishing crafts operating on both the two major and small lakes continued to increase with 4,045 crafts in 1991 6,501 in 1997; and a slight decreased to 6,462 in 2002. The increase was again, however, noticed in 2008 and 2013 and also 2023 with 8,405 10,882 and 13,561 fishing crafts in the respective years.
Overtime, there had been some qualitative (quantitative) changes in the gear usage, e.g. (for example) the number of crafts using gillnets had been declining from 2,924 in 1991 to 2,567 in 1997 and 1,647 in 2002 however the number increased to about four fold to about 4166 in 2008 the corresponding years such as 2013 and 2023 showed the effort to 4,601 and 6,574 respectively. Conversely, the number of crafts using beach/boat seines increased from 885 in 1997 to 983 in 2002 but remained almost the same in 2008 and in 2013 reduced to 745 and have continued to decrease to 362 in 2023 surveys the majority of this figure came from the small lakes such as Opeta.
The crafts using hooks (long line and hand lines) increased from approximately 180 in 1991 and 1997 to 976 in 2002 but reduced slightly to 896 in 2008 but this time increased to 1,354 in 2013. The use of hook and line has continued to increase even depicted in the recent survey with 2,173 crafts using this kind of gear. The number of crafts using Mukene nets and as well as those operating traps have continued to increase on the lakes and rivers in the Kyoga basin system. This trend of diversifying from the traditionally gillnet dominated fishery to other fishing gears and methods could be a response of fishers to the decline in returns from the gillnet fishery.