Find Fisheries expertise in Uganda

Agriculture, forestry, hunting and fisheries were together estimated to contribute 31% of Uganda’s GDP in 2007. The fisheries sector is the basis of over 700,000 people’s livelihoods (it is estimated that 150,000 are involved in the primary sector as fishers, while the additional 550,000 are engaged in secondary or tertiary sectorial activities relating to processing and trading), and plays a key role in pro-poor economic growth, poverty reduction and food security. While Uganda is landlocked, it is richly endowed with natural water bodies including Lake Victoria, which is by far the largest and most economically significant of the national fisheries.

Uganda has an important export market in frozen fillets and fresh chilled products, largely Nile perch, which is the major export fisheries commodity to the EU.

The most important fish species from Lake Victoria is the Nile perch which comprises around half of the total annual catch in the country, followed by the Nile Tilapia and the dagaa. Other large lakes including George, Edward, Albert and Kyoga, along with the River Nile and a great variety of swamps and streams, also contribute to the annual national catch but the contribution from each is unknown due to a lack of recordkeeping. The catch profile from rivers and streams is largely ningu, Nile tilapia, Nile perch, barbs catfishes and lungfish.

Aquaculture on the other hand remains fairly insignificant in economic terms though interest is increasing. The aquacultural industry is largely (95%) subsistence production from pond culture.

The Lake Victoria Fisheries Body is a new regional management body that was established by a convention signed by the three lacustrine states, which aims to foster effective cooperation between the Contracting Parties in order to develop and adopt a common approach to the conservation and management of the Lake’s living resources to ensure ecosystem health and sustainability.