AFP: Ugandan navy speedboats sliced through murky Lake Edward towards a fleet of wooden canoes carrying illegal fishermen from the Democratic Republic of Congo, hightailing it back to their own waters.
“Stop the boat, hands up, surrender any weapons,” yelled Lieutenant Deogratius Kato as the soldiers surrounded a motorised canoe after a 20-minute chase, pointing guns at two terrified fishermen.
The rest of the boats escaped to the safety of Congolese waters, leaving a trail of fishing nets in the water, some tight mesh drift nets that trap everything, including juvenile fish and feeding birds.
Kampala has stepped up patrols in recent months to crack down on illegal fishing on Lakes Edward and Albert, straddling Uganda and Congo.
The missions have led to the arrest of hundreds of Congolese fishermen and sent tensions soaring between the two countries whose armed forces engaged in deadly clashes on Lake Edward – the smallest of the Great Lakes of eastern Africa – in July.
Both lakes lie mostly in Congolese territory where uncontrolled fishing has depleted stocks, driving fishermen into Ugandan waters where officials are now clamping down on overfishing.
“Since we started our campaign against illegal fishing, we have seen fish stocks increase on our side, hence the influx of fishermen from the Congo,” said Brigadier Michael Nyarwa, head of Uganda’s navy.
The lakes are home to catfish, tilapia and Nile perch, which are consumed locally and exported.
Landlocked Uganda’s fishing industry accounts for 3 per cent of GDP and employs more than 700,000 people, according to official figures.
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