Fishermen on Lake Victoria fishermen will soon have to pay a small fee towards the Fisheries Management Project should plants by Tanzania, Uganda and Kenya go through.

This comes after the European Union withdrew its funding for the project.
In a signed document seen by The EastAfrican, all East African member countries are to ensure that the landing site user fee is legislated as a funding mechanism for the Beach Management Unit.

The document signed by Uganda’s Minister for Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries Hope Mwesigye, then Kenya’s Fisheries Minister Dr Paul Otuoma and Tanzania’s High Commissioner to Uganda Rajabu Gamaha requires the countries to starts its implementation immediately.

The EU is a major partner of the Lake Victoria Basin states and has a long history of support to the quality control, research, development and sustainable management of the fisheries resources of Lake Victoria.

Head of the natural resources section at the EU delegation in Tanzania Anne-Claire Leon confirmed that the EU has pulled out from funding beach and fisheries management around Lake Victoria beginning August 31 after seven years of support.

The EU financial contribution to the fisheries management plan amounted to $40.6 million out of which $6.7 million was used for beach management units’ formation and support.

The overall objective of the project was the sustainable economic growth and development of the Lake Victoria Basin. The programme was managed by the EU delegation in Uganda.

Prior to the fisheries management project, the EU injected $12.7 million into phase I and II of the Lake Victoria Fisheries Research Programme that ran from 1996 to 2002.

The EAC is also asking its member countries to increase contributions to the regional fisheries kitty managed by the Lake Victoria Fisheries Organisation in Uganda.

Currently, every country provides between $120,000 and $320,000. In addition, the Council of Ministers is looking at the possibility of setting up a fish levy trust to help in the implementation of programmes.

Among the challenges the lake faces are the deteriorating water quality, over-fishing and use of illegal harvesting methods.

The Nile perch is of great commercial significance as evidenced by inland fisheries’ contribution of two to 12 per cent to GDP in Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania.