Uganda is endowed with plentiful of freshwater resources. Out of its total area of 241,550 sq km about 42, 740, sq km is covered by water where fish breed and live. The water resources include both major and minor lakes and rivers. Uganda has over 165 lakes in the country and many rivers. The most productive of the lakes is Lake Victoria which accounts about 58% of the country’s total fish catch. It is followed by Lake Kyoga and Lake Albert with 16% and 13% respectively and the rest come from minor lakes, rivers and swamps.
Uganda is currently producing 90,000 tons of fish annually and expected to increase to 300,000 tons by 2016 provided good fishing practices are followed. It is projected that in 2012 the country will earn $136 million in fish exports, making the sector the second highest foreign exchange earner after coffee.
Fisheries sector is an important source of high quality food and employment revenue for a number of Ugandans.
Fish Species in Uganda
There are over 350 fish species which are known to exist in water bodies in Uganda and these include;
- Nile Perch
- Nile Tilapia
- Herring
- Catfish
- Hydrocynus
- Small Sardine
- Lungfish
- Haplochromines
Fishing vessels
Most of the fishing in Ugandan waters is done by local communities using imported fishnets and locally made wood canoes.