Legislators in Uganda representing fishing areas want the Fisheries and Aquaculture Bill 2021, to protect and elevate interests of fishing communities.
The Committee on Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries invited the MPs as stakeholders to scrutinize the Fisheries and Aquaculture Bill 2021, on Friday at Parliament.
Speaking on behalf of the Parliamentary Forum on Fisheries, Robert Migadde, legislator of Buvuma told the Committee that for the Bill to stand the test of time, issues such as fishing methods, equipment, fishing jurisdictions, taxation and preservation methods would need to be harmonised.
The legislators sought to have a number of amendments in the Bill, most notably restricting a member of the surveillance unit on improper fishing to exercise their powers of entry and mounting a search only in the presence of an LC 1 representative.
They demanded that Chief Fisheries Officers publish the maximum allowed fishing effort in a fishing area as opposed to determining the maximum limit without public disclosure.
“We want to encourage transparency among these technocrats, promote proper monitoring by the local government and prevent abuse of these powers,” Migadde said.
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