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Cage Aquaculture on Lake Albert: A Ray of Hope for Artisanal Fishers

GEF-AfDB-NBI LEAF Project

By IW:LEARN

March 22^nd, 2021

GEF IW:LEARN World Water Day 2021 Special Bulletin

“When you leave your home to go into the lake to fish, there are several possible outcomes – you may come back with or without fish, you may lose your net due to bad weather, you may drown in the water or be attacked by pirates,” says Moses Munyomo, who has been an artisanal fisherman for fifteen years. “With these fish cages however, most things seem assured. You know where your fish are, their exact number and you know that if you feed and take care of them well you will get a certain quantity of fish and make money,” Moses adds.

Moses is a member of Bafa (Buhuka Albert Fishers Association), one of the three fisher groups involved in cage aquaculture on Lake Albert. The groups presently own three fish cages with a total of 36,000 tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) fish. The groups started as a savings and lending group for fishers in the remote fishing village of Kiina in Buhuka area, Chepkube District on the Western part of Uganda on the shores of the transboundary Lake Albert. Uganda shares the lake with the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

The group began engaging in cage aquaculture in 2020, with support from the Multinational Lakes Edward and Albert Integrated Fisheries and Water Resources Project (LEAF II) that is funded by the African Development Bank (AfDB) and the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and is implemented in collaboration with the Governments of Uganda and DRC. As of mid-March 2021 the fish from the three cages were 3.5 months old and were each weighing close to 100 grams. Each of the three groups hope to harvest a minimum of 3-4 tons of fish per cage and expect to make minimum of 15 million UGX (USD, 4,200) per cage. The group has so far spent 4 million UGX (USD 1,100) and expect to spend another 2.6 million UGX (USD 450) on feeding the fish for the next three months and by the time they mature will have spent a total of 6.6 million UGX (USD 1,800).

“We have the vision of installing additional two to three cages in the next cycle after we complete this pilot phase where we are receiving 50% support,” says Mwongezi Vitus, a Parish Chief and fisherman. Vitus is one of the leaders of Bafa group. “After we sell this lot, we will sit as a group, calculate how much we shall have gotten from the fish and add to the savings from members and re-invest in the same venture,” Vitus added.

Whereas some of the members of the group plan to have their own cages eventually when they get enough capital, they are currently content to do it as a group and share the cost.

“The members haven’t abandoned their artisanal fishing because they need daily income from fishing and trade in fish,” explains 62 year old Joseph Abeka. For the past 22 years, Joseph specialized in catching big fish, specifically Nile Perch, but of late he hasn’t been fishing. He explains that this is because illegal fishing has greatly reduced the number of big fish in the lake. He however hopes that with the ongoing joint patrol operation by DRC and Uganda to arrest illegal fishers, he might return to the lake in a few months’ time. For now, Joseph is focused on the cage aquaculture project and was one of the people trained in cage installation, management and fish feeding.

Mr Moses Munyomo (r) a member of the Bafa group looks on as staff employed to feed the fish do their work. Photo credit: GEF-AfDB-NBI LEAF Project

How the Group Manages the Fish Project

The group has employed four personnel, two as security people to protect the cages day and night and another two to feed the fish. The fish is fed three times a day. Five members of the group underwent a two-week Training of Trainers Course on installation of the cages, feeding, replacing the nets as the fish grows, monitoring the health of the fish general management of the fish cages.

The groups have been receiving capacity building and supervisory visits by the LEAF II Project, the local District Fisheries and Sub County Fisheries Officer who visit the groups more than once a week to oversee their progress. Within a month, the project will hand over the cages to the groups to fully manage going forward. The groups will be responsible for feeding their fish for the next two to three months after the formal handover.

“We are very ready for the handover of the cages, we have enough feed in stock that will take care of our fish until it is ready for the market,” says Mwongezi Vitus. The members claim that five of them who went for the training, now have the ability and knowhow to fabricate and fully install their own fish cages into the lake, put in the fingerlings and feed them for the entire life cycle.

In 2019 LEAF II project conduced a research on the potential of Cage Aquaculture on the two transboundary lakes Edward and Albert and this research informed the current pilot cage aquaculture projects. The research revealed among others, the probable areas best suited for the aquaculture project and their carrying capacity.

Members of Bafa Group (L. Joseph Abeka) (C. Mr Moses Munyomo) with NELSAP LEAF II Fisheries Officer (R) Mr. Mathieu Mongolu . Photo credit: GEF-AfDB-NBI LEAF Project

For more information on the GEF-AfDB-NIB Lakes Edward and Albert Project kindly contact the Project Manager, Godfrey Sengendo (gsengendo@nilebasin.org). Additional resources are available on the project website and dedicated project page on iwlearn.net.