Increasing compliance to fishery rules and regulations

Under a co-management system, law enforcement and increasing compliance to fisheries rules and regulations involves a range of approaches by different stakeholders, including resource users themselves.  These approaches may be classified as “soft” or “preventative” such as public education to “hard” or “deterrent” interventions such as apprehension and conviction.  The overall objective of these approaches is to increase the level of compliance with fisheries rules and regulations.

The Monitoring, Control and Surveillance (MCS) strategy for fisheries on Lake Victoria identifies the main threats to sustainability from illegal activity as:

1. Use of illegal gears such as beach seines, monofilament nets and undersized gill nets
2. Capture, transport and processing of immature fish
3. Fishing in restricted areas
4. Fishing without the necessary permits

The existing legal framework prohibits all of these activities and increased compliance to these measures will improve the chances of a sustainable fishery. Both “soft” and “hard” approaches are being supported by the LVFO through multi-disciplinary, multi-agency and integrated actions on Lake Victoria.

“Soft” approaches to law enforcement

The BMUs are the foundation of the fishery co-management system on Lake Victoria and are the focus of efforts to increase compliance.  Public information campaigns are conducted to raise awareness of the existing rules and regulations governing resource use; BMUs reporting incidences of illegal activity are swiftly supported in their response; and, BMU chairpersons are Authorised Officers for the Fisheries Acts and are therefore expected to be aware of the various rules governing fisheries. Incentives will be provided to encourage good performing BMUs in areas such as tackling illegal activity and raising levels of licensing in their areas of jurisdiction.

In the bridging area between “soft” and “hard” approaches BMUs are involved in the planning and conduct of “hard” interventions designed to locate, apprehend and punish violations.

“Hard” approaches to law enforcement

Whilst efforts to increase local enforcement of rules and raise awareness to improve voluntary compliance are ongoing, there is still a need for “hard” law enforcement measures to both sustain levels of compliance and create an atmosphere whereby the chances of being apprehended are more costly than the short term benefits of conducting an illegal activity.

On Lake Victoria these activities are led by the Fisheries Departments in the Partner States with the support of a variety of security agencies.  The RWG for Monitoring, Control and Surveillance (MCS-RWG) is made up of representatives from the Fisheries Departments and the security services in each of the Partner States. The District Fisheries Offices and BMUs are also involved at the national level. 

Patrol units have been supported by the purchase of new fibreglass canoes, outboard engines, and safety and life-saving equipment, and by the provision of operational training to improve the effectiveness of their activities. Through the Implementation of a Fisheries Management Plan , LVFO is also purchasing 10 metre patrol boats for each Partner State for the Fisheries Departments to ensure access to all areas of the lake. It is expected these vessels will be on the lake in 2007.