The basic characteristics of Lake Idi Amin are the following:
The waters of Lake Idi Amin are shared by Zaire and Uganda with a surface area of 1,630 km2, or 73% of the total area, belonging to Zaire. It should be noted here that the Ugandan portion of the lake has a maximum depth of only 40 metres, while the deeper and consequently less productive water is found in the portion belonging to Zaire;
The lake lies within two national parks: The Virunga National Park on the Zaire side and the Queen Elizabeth National Park on the Ugandan side;
Total potential production for Lake Idi Amin is estimated between 15,000 and 16,000 tons per year. Two separate studies carried put in 1989 by Zaire and Uganda1 reached the same conclusions: that the lake's fishery resources are being exploited at maximum capacity, with the possibility of only a slight increase in yield, under certain conditions, by exploiting the deep water resources of Zaire.
In the light of these three characteristics of Lake Idi Amin, management measures are required in order to achieve rational exploitation of the lake and harmony between the development policies of the fisheries and those of the national parks.
The mission's recommendations are as follows:
Bilateral cooperation between Uganda and Zaire should be strengthened by creating a permanent committee, organizing periodic meetings and data exchange and carrying out bio-economic studies as a basis for the adoption of common management measures:
hatcheries and protected areas should be monitored;
beach seine fishing should be made impracticable by sinking heavy obstacles in protected zones;
monitoring of fishing activity should be made efficient;
the fine for illegal fishing should be increased;
DAFECN agents should be trained in statistics, extension services and processing at the Kinkolé Center;
DAFECN agents should be adequately equipped;
a COPEVI surveillance team should be created, composed of the IZCN, and representatives of the fisheries and the Department of the Environment;
with the reservations expressed in the conclusions, the COPEVI should be given advice and supervision as it undertakes its fishing activities;
financing should be found for the COPEVI, so that it can provide services to fishermen again; and
this financing should be made available on the condition that the financiers have direct control over the management of these services;
The mission's recommendations for the fisheries of Lake Mobutu are the following:
the track linking Bunia to Kasenyi should be repaired in order to open access to lake fisheries;
bilateral cooperation should be strengthened by creating a convention on full exploitation of the lake, carrying out a joint study of fishery resources, instituting periodic meetings as well as a permanent committee, and in general by adopting joint fishery management measures;
development projects should be created which deal with both parts of the lake, achieving technical homogeneity on both sides and thereby facilitating agreement on management;
semi-industrial deep-water fishing should be reactivated using “baleinières” to increase yield and strengthen fishermen's associations;
the quality of processed fish should be improved, increasing the value of local products;
production of smoked Lates should be launched at the artisanal level by using improved ovens, and the feasibility of semi-industrial production should be tested;
women should be brought into the “propêche” groups;
the Lake Mobutu fishery project should be re-oriented in relation to which ever project is retained;
the number of DAFECN agents should be increased and they should be adequately equipped; and
these agents should be trained in the operation of a cooperative, statistics and processing at the Kinkolé Center.
