BY OUR REPORTER
The chief executive officer (CEO) Uganda fish processors and exporters Association (UFPEA) William Tibyasa has revealed that Uganda losses over 1.4/1.5 billion USD annually due to illegal fishing.
Tibyasa says that these losses reflect not only revenue foregone but also lost employment, taxes, markets and irreversible ecological damage.
He made the remarks during a training for marine battalion commander’s in Entebbe .
The training was organized to equip 155 commander’s with fisheries knowledge for effective enforcement.
The 155 marine battalion officers were also reminded about their duty to accountability and proper reporting.
Tibyasa says losses of that huge money is caused by the continued implementation and use of banned fish gear including monofilament nets and illegal mesh size among others.
“The large volumes of fish processed outside licensed factories also lead to loss of export earnings, loss of employment opportunities, reduce tax revenue and increase food safety risks ” he said
He added that the illegal gutting of Nile perch to extract fish maws for illicit export markets results in an estimated annual loss of about 121.7 M USD
“The Uganda fisheries industry is facing a systematic crisis driven by widespread illegalities that undermining decades of investment, food safety systems and global market positioning ” he added
During the session, 155 marine battalion released the operational sector analysis performance returns for the period of April to July 2026.
The analysis performance returns indicate the continued recovery of illegal fishing gear particularly illegal hooks, monofilament nets and undersized gill nets.
The report shows that a total of 405728 illegal hooks, 96938 monofilament nets and 21329 undersized gill nets were recorded during the reporting period.
“The continued recovery of these items highlights the persistence of illegal fishing activities ” the report indicates.