32 remanded in Kalangala for alleged fish poisoning

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The Chief Magistrate’s Court in Kalangala has remanded 32 suspects who were allegedly arrested for using illegal fishing gears and chemicals on Lake Victoria to kill fish.

The suspects were arrested on Friday by the Fish Protection Unit-FPU from Nkose landing site in Mazinga sub county with a substance which they were pouring into Lake Victoria allegedly to kill fish so that they can pick it easily when it floats on the surface.

The samples of chemicals they were using are in laboratories to find out whether it was poison.

On Wednesday, the suspects appeared before the Chief Magistrate Daniel Kiboko Epobu who remanded them to Mugoye prison in Mugoye sub county until February 23.

Since January, there has been tension as dead Nile Perch have continued floating but on being examined, it turned out that their swim bladders are always taken out. The swim bladder of the Nile Perch is sold lucratively to Chinese exporters.

A police officer familiar with the case of the suspects says that the detained fishermen were heard discussing their plans while buying fuel in Nkose landing site.

Fishermen also still allege that the death of fish on Lake Victoria differs from that which occurs seasonally once a year. However, fisheries officials have earlier ruled out poisoning as the cause of the mass killing that has seen millions of dead fish floating on the lake since December.

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