From The Guardian on Sunday, Dar es Salaam
By The Guardian correspondent
The popularity of a saying by the people of Ukewere Island that Inyaja itakutulwa na bulogo has been considerably watered down by the bitter realities related to Lake Victoria that hosts them.
The saying loosely translates as “the huge lake is immune to being bewitched and shall live forever,” but the sad stories of Lulakubi Mukama and his colleagues contradict that declaration.
The 56-year-old angler at Namasabo landing beach, in Bukanda Ward, Ukerewe District, is experiencing the cost of the lake’s environmental degradation in disbelief.
Three years ago, the beach was enjoying a good catch of Nile perch in terms of tons but the number has dwindled to single digits.
“Back in 2007 we used to get a maximum of 1.5 to 2 tons of Nile perch from the lake but by now (around 11:50am), we have harvested only 5 kilogrammes of fish; yesterday we got only 30 kilogrammes,” explains Mukama.
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1 comment:
Maybe 20 years of overfishing is showing it's face now.
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