By Juma Nsubuga
The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Uganda fFish Processors and Exporters Association (UFPEA) William Tibyasa has revealed that Uganda losses between USD 1.4 and 1.5billion annually due to illegal fishing.
Tibyasa says 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 the Marine battalion commanders in Entebbe .
The training was organized to equip 155 commanders with fisheries knowledge for effective enforcement.
The 155 marine battalion officers were also reminded about their duty of accountability and proper reporting.
“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 taxe 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 USD 121.7Million.
“The Ugand fisheries industry is facing a systematic crisis driven by widespread illegalities that undermine 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.
