A Project team comprising members of both the Bio-Statistics (BIOSTAT) and Socio-Economic (SEC) working groups made a trip to Iganga District between 29th May and 2nd June, 1989. The BIOSTAT Group was represented by Mr. J. Wadanya, Ms. Joyce Ikwaput, and Ms. Rhoda Tumwebaze. The SEC Group was represented by Mr. Odongkara, later joined by Dr. E. Reynolds. BIOSTAT Group members were primarily concerned with the status of the catch monitoring and reporting system in the District, and their findings will be the subject of separate memoranda. The purpose of the SEC component of the trip was to meet with District Fisheries Department personnel, visit selected landing sites and communities, talk with local fisherfolk, and obtain a range of preliminary socio-economic information on the area.
The team passed through the Jinja Regional Office and was met by the RFO, Mr. Nkusi, and Ms. J. Atim, FO. Ms. Atim accompanied the team as it proceeded to Iganga and the landing site visits. At Iganga, the team was received by the District Officer-in-Charge, Mr. J. Bikala.
At each of the landing communities, the team members toured facilities and talked with RC members, fishing committee officials, and local fishermen, processors, and traders. Messrs. J.W. Bikala (AFDO), M. Akona (AFDO), and M. Mandada (CO) of the Iganga District Office, and Mr. Okou Aselamuk (AFDO) of the Bugiri Sub-District, kindly provided assistance and guidance in the field. The complete tour itinerary and list of persons met is given in Annex 1.
The Iganga Office is responsible for the fisheries areas of Iganga District, covering the two counties of Bunya and Bukholi. The office staff consist of 3 AFDOs, 1 Clerical officer, 1 Fish Marketing Assistant, 1 Copy Typist and 1 Messenger. Two AFDOs, 8 FAs, and 1 FG are posted to the landings. The effectiveness of all these staff is however severely hampered by an almost total lack of means to move about the vast area they are supposed to cover. There is only one bicycle and it is kept at the district office. It is believed that water transport would be more appropriate for supervising the landings, which are found on both the mainland and various offshore islands, including those of Sigulu, Dagusi and Namiti. Even the mainland landings have limited access by land due to the extremely poor state of the roads, particularly after periods of rain. Inadequate or nonexistent office and housing accommodation are among the other serious problems with which the staff must cope at the landings.
Fish production in Iganga District is carried out from 30 landings in all. The major ones include those of Butte, Lwanika, Namoni, Bukoba, Bwondha, Bugoto, Misole, Wakawaka, Lufudu and Lugala. Most of these landings are very poorly developed in terms of both their basic fish landing and handling facilities and their social amenities. At the same time, they have sizeable populations. At Bwondha, for example, it was estimated that there are as many as 3,500 people engaged in fishing, processing, transport, and the supply of provisions and other services.
Nile perch (mputa) and tilapia (ngege) are said to be the major species landed but Protopterus, Clarias and Rastrineobola are also reported. Whilst an abundance of Nile perch were seen during the tour, relatively few tilapia were encountered. The likely explanation for this scarcity lies in the flourishing informal export trade through which these ngege are transported across the lake into Kenya, in return for provisions and foreign currency.
The average daily catch for the principal landings is estimated at around 700 kgs, with Bwondha Landing reporting the highest daily catch average of about 1.8 tonnes. Catch levels often fluctuate, however, according to the lunar cycle, season, and water levels. The best season for Nile perch is said to occur during the August - November period. Fishing is mainly carried out with 4.5"– 5" (stretched) mesh size gill nets for tilapia and 6"–10" (stretched) mesh size nets for Nile perch. Nets vary in cost from UShs 4,000/- to 16,000/- each, depending on mesh size and ply. The average number of nets per boat is 3 for the smaller meshes and 10 for the larger.
Fishing craft are mostly of the “Sesse” planked variety, 4.5 to 9 m. in length. The larger ones cost up to UShs 120,000/- to construct. Canoe working life is said to last from 3 to 7 years. A few ‘parachute’ and larger kabalega transport boats are also in evidence. Although mostly used directly by the owners, some boats are rented out to other fishermen for fees ranging from UShs 3,000/- to 6,000/- per month. Construction and maintenance services are generally available at the landings.
Boats are constructed of mvule and mukibu timber. Virtually all of the timber for boatbuilding is obtained from the Busoga Forest Reserve. Busoga Forest has been subject to much settlement and agricultural encroachment over the last three decades or so, and the supply of good building timber has been depleted accordingly. The clearing of trees for to secure timber, charcoal, and crop and grazing space seems to be continuing unabated, and serious problems with building material and fuelwood shortages as well as general land degradation can be anticipated in the immediate future. Indeed, such problems are already evident in some localities.
Fishing units consist of 3 to 4 crew who are remunerated on a share-of-the-catch basis, usually splitting between 40 to 50% of the daily harvest amongst themselves. Crew labour is readily available at the landing sites and from nearby village communities. Fishing would appear to be regarded as a fairly lucrative occupation, since fishermen are reported to engage in few other income activities. There is apparently no formal organsisation of labour in the sense of workers groups, committees, or welfare societies. High labour mobility occurs as individuals are always ready to move to more productive fishing grounds, with the effect that any particular landing is regarded as a temporary base.
Boat and gear owners represent about a third of the population of the fishing communities. They tend to manage their operations from the shore, providing capital, organising supplies and maintenance, contracting sales, and taking about 50% of the catch in return for their efforts and investment risks. Owners often seek to protect their interests and secure such advantages as loans, better input supply, and favourable markets for their products through enrollment in formal groups. Fishermen's committees under the leadership of a head fisherman or gabunga exist at all the sites, and in a few cases fishermen's co-operatives have been organised.
Owners appear to be more involved than hired crew in alternative income activities such as fish trading, agriculture, and shopkeeping. The diverse nature of their enterprises and their investment and domestic committments probably keep them more tied to specific places and less disposed to migrate between sites in search of other opportunities. By the same token, these multiple ties predispose them to develop further enterprises and support amenity improvements at their bases of operation.
A few absentee boat owners are also reported. These individuals hire out boats to gear owners for monthly rents. The income so derived is however only supplementary to that which comes from other employment or business outside of the local community.
Little was seen of processing facilities or activities at the landings visited, except in the case of Bwondha. Here 44 improved kilns, including 4 CICS financed chorkor kilns (see SEC Fld Rpt 3), were seen in operation. The smoked fish in the district comes mainly from the islands, whence it is difficult to evacuate fresh products. The islands depend on a waterborne transport system of engine powered and hand paddled canoes to connect them with the mainland landings served by roads. In addition to processed fish, the canoes carry passengers and cargoes of supplies needed by island residents. Unreliable fuel supply and lack of engines are said to be major bottlenecks to fish collection in the region. The use of sails to propel fishing and transport canoes is apparently very minimal.
Fresh and processed fish from the various landing sites has a ready market both within and outside the district. Outside markets for the catches include the towns of Mbale, Tororo and Busia as well as points across the Kenya border over the lake. There are several markets in the district but the main ones are Iganga, Bugiri, Busembatia, Muwayo, Mayuge, Buwuni, Namayemba, Kawete and Lutale. Distribution of the fresh catch to local markets is mainly carried out by scores of bicycle traders who operate to and from the shoreline, often delivering fish over very long distances (Bwondha to Busembatia is over 100 km.). Bicycles represent a cheaper and more convenient mode of transport than motor vehicles, given the bad roads and the numerous small markets that need to be served. They also allow a far greater workforce to be supported by the fish trade, since many bicycles are required to carry the equivalent load of one pick-up truck. Some 30 or so bicycle traders report daily at each landing, buying about 50 kgs of fish each for delivery inland.
Larger scale traders with pick-ups also visit the main landing sites to collect loads of both fresh and smoked fish, primarily for delivery to the Iganga market and major towns outside of the district. Pick-up drivers must contend with extremely rough access roads that often become impassible during periods of rainy weather. Most processed fish is marketed outside the district by the larger scale fish traders.
Fish handling practices at the landings were observed to be rather poor and unhygenic and it is likely that deteriorated products are being channelled to consumers in some instances. Fresh fish is exposed to dirt and contamination by being thrown on the ground during offloading from canoes and is generally subject to rough handling by fishermen and traders alike. The passage from boat through landing site to final market destination many involve a period of twelve hours or more, during which fresh fish are exposed to much heat and dust, with the result that they are not in the best condition by the time they reach the consumer. Virtually no storage facilities for processed fish exist at the landing sites on the mainland. Limited storage is possible using compartments built into the improved kilns at Bwondha, but this is not adequate for those times when the roads are impassible and consignments must be bulked to await the eventual arrival of pick-ups.
Processed fish stores do exist at some of the main markets. Retailers in these places may keep their left-over supplies in these facilities at monthly rates payable to the urban authorities.
Fresh and processed fish prices differ between the islands, mainland landings, and markets. Fluctuations within narrow margins exist, due mainly to variations in catch and the number of traders who happen to turn up on a particular day. The average price situation as at the time of visit is given below.
IGANGA DISTRICT FISH PRICES (UShs/kg)
| Source | Nile Perch | Tilapia | |
| (Fresh) | (Smoked) | (Fresh) | |
| Landing Sites | |||
| --Mainland | 120 | 150 | 150 |
| --Islands | 90* | 120* | 100* |
| Markets | 200 | 300 | 250 |
Lwanika is situated in Buyemba Parish of Bunya County, about 50 km south of Iganga. It is permanent and gazetted and has been in operation since 1959. The two Fisheries Department staff operating here also are responsible for two other major landings, Butte and Namoni, and two small ones, Malindi and Bukasero. However, they are much constrained by lack of transport, stationery and housing.
The landing is active between 0600 and 1100 hours for fresh fish and from noon to 1800 hours for smoked fish, the latter coming mainly from the islands in Mukono District. There is a fair access road but the landing has no fish handling facilities apart from a few temporary display racks. Provisions and maintenance services for boat and gear are available and there are two clinics, one P.4. school, temporary and semi-permanent housing, and a recreation hall. A number of pit latrines can be seen scattered throughout the settlement, but there is no clean water supply for the 500 or so people who reside here.
Fishing operators and crew number about 115, of whom 19 are boat/gear owners, including two women. The community is under the leadership of a Gabunga but apart from a few ethnic associations, there are no joint business organisations. Agriculture and shop/hotel-keeping are alternative sources of incomes, exploited mostly by the boat and gear owners. Frequent mobility of fishermen out to Buvuma Island and Malindi in search of better catches is reported and fishermen from Bukoba and Kabaganjo come to Lwanika seeking a better market and security of gear.
There are 35 active fishing boats, only one of which is equipped with an outboard engine. A further 7 boats are out of commission. Three outboard-powered transport boats serve the landing. The fishing craft are mostly planked mvule canoes around 6 to 7 m. in length. They cost about UShs 50,000/- new and are said to last for 7 years. The larger Kabalega boats are used for transport and cost about UShs 160,000/- each.
Gillnetting with 4.5" to 5" (stretched) meshes is most common but 10 of the boats fish 6" to 10" nets for the Nile perch. A few hook rigs are used for the Protopterus fishery. The number of nets per boat is 4 to 8 for small meshes or 10 to 25 for larger meshes. Crew size is 3, sharing out 50% of catch or 40% in the case of the Nile perch. The remainder of the catch goes to the owner.
Nile perch and tilapia feature about equally in the catch, which on average is 1.1 tonnes per day for the landing. Harvests of Protopterus and other species are not significant. Between 15 to 20 fishmongers call here on any day and deliver fish to the markets of Iganga, Kawete, Busembatia, and Bulenga by bicycle. The daily bus to Jinja via Iganga does not usually carry fish. Fresh fish prices per kg at the time of visit were reported to be running as follows: tilapia, UShs 150/-; Nile perch, UShs 125/-; and Protopterus UShs 60/-.
Only two processing kilns are present, and these reportedly see little use except when the rains are heavy -- an indication of the ready market for fresh fish landed at Lwanika. Most of the smoked fish which is shipped out of the landing comes in via transport canoe from Buvuma Island. Lwanika thus serves not only as an important production centre but also as a marketing outlet for a number of other fishing settlements in the area.
Situated 10 km southwest of Lwanika, Butte has been one of the main landings in the district but it is now threatened with closure under the forest squatter eviction exercise now going on. It is supervised by the staff from Lwanika. Hours of activity are from 0600 to 1100 hours for fresh fish and noon to 1800 hours for processed fish.
The landing is underdeveloped, with only a few temporary housing units and no social amenities to speak of. About 60 fishermen have been operating here with 20 boats, fishing mainly with the small mesh nets except for one boat fishing for Nile perch. Average catch is 150 kg per day, mainly of tilapia, which is marketed in Jinja, Iganga and across the border. Prices are comparable with those of Lwanika prices.
Butte is an important transit point for fish from the islands of Namoni, Lingira, and Waigala, receiving deliveries from about five visiting boats every day. Unless an alternative is found, closure of this landing could well disrupt the fish distribution system in the region and lead to an intensification of trade across the border.
Started in the early 1960s, Bugoto is a permanent gazetted landing situated in Bugoto Parish of Bunya County, approximately 60 km southeast of Iganga. Two Fisheries staff are posted here and also assigned responsibility for four other landings, including Musubi (20 boats), Nduwa (30 boats), Bubinge (10 boats) and Budumbere (6 boats). However, their operations are severely handicapped by lack of transport, field equipment, and stationery.
Bugoto is active between 0730 to 0930 hours each morning for fresh fish landings and from 1300 to 1430 hours each Thursday afternoon for processed fish deliveries from outlying sites. Although the access road is sometimes impassable, supplies of gear, fuel, and provisions are generally available. A market is held twice a week, and maintenance services for boats and equipment can be readily obtained. The community is comprised of about 140 households with a total population of some 500 to 600 people. Housing is both of the temporary (mud-walled, thatched roof) and semi-permanent (mud-walled, corrogated iron sheet roof) and does not seem to be in short supply. Sanitary facilities in the form of pit latrines have been built for most of the houses, but there is no clean, protected water supply. Social amenities include one primary school, one private clinic, and one maternity clinic.
There are 100 fishermen and 40 boat and gear owners. Frequent mobility of fishermen out to Jagusi, Masulia and Bumba is reported due to a high incidence of net theft at Bugoto. Migration also occurs at times of poor catch rates from the fishing grounds around the landing. The Bugoto Fishing Co-operative Group is developing to assist local fishermen as a savings and credit and input supply agency. Currently 24 individuals are registered as members.
A total of 64 usable boats are reported, of which 44 are used for fishing and 2 for outboard-powered transport. The remaining 18 units are non-operational due to lack of nets, explained by the high incidence of theft which exists. Each boat operates with 3 crew and a set of 8 nets. The catch is said to be shared on a very precisely calucalated basis of 32% to crew, 20% to boat owner and 48% to gear owner. Daily catches may be as low as 500 kg and as high as a tonne or more, depending upon the season. Catches consist mainly of Nile perch and tilapia, with some occurrence of Protopterus and Clarias.
About 100 fishmongers operate out of Bugoto, of whom at least 50 are present on any given day. The main markets for the landing are Bugiri, Buwuni, Namayemba, Busembatia, and Iganga. Fresh fish prices were recorded as follows: Nile perch and tilapia, UShs 120/kg; Clarias UShs 100/kg; and Protopterus UShs 90/kg. Smoked Nile perch sells for UShs 180/kg.
Processed fish derives mostly from outlying sites. The two kilns found at Bugoto are only operated on occasion. There are no storage facilities for processed fish, although there are times when consignments need to be bulked to wait out interruptions in road transport. Most fish is carried off to markets by bicycle traders. The daily bus to Iganga is also used to transport fish, and traders sometimes hire a pick-up to deliver loads of smoked fish to markets outside of the district.
Lying some 50 kilometres south of Iganga, in Bugade Parish, Bunya County, Bukoba is a permanent gazetted landing which has been in operation since 1956. It is supervised by only one Fisheries Department staff, an AFDO who is also in charge of Nakirimera Landing (4 km away) and Kabagannja (8 km away). Only fresh fish is landed at Bukoba, usually between 0600 and 1000 hours daily. The landing serves not only as a production centre but also as an important provision and market point for the less accessible landings near-by.
A fairly good access road serves the landing but fishing and handling facilities are non-existent except for 10 temporary display racks. Social facilities for the approximately 700 people who live around Bukoba include one primary school and three shops. Housing is comprised of both temporary and semi-permanent units. There is no established water supply other than the lake.
About 50 fishing labourers and 20 boat and gear owners operate from here, often moving out to Namoni and Lwanika in search of better catches, especially in the early part of the year. Recorded boats are 59, of which 30 are actively fishing, 1 is used for transport, and 28 are unseaworthy. Fishing units are each manned by a crew of three and work with an average of 10 nets. The crew is renumerated with a 50% share of the daily catch.
It is estimated that a total of one tonne of fish is landed each day at Bukoba, consisting of Nile perch and tilapia, with some Protopterus. The catch is marketed in Busia, Iganga, and Mayuge by a group of about 15 traders. On most days there are about 10 bicycles which carry fish from the landing; one pick-up collects fish for the Busia and Iganga markets. Very low beach prices were cited by informants, and were noted as follows: tilapia UShs 70/kg; Nile perch UShs 80/kg; and Protopterus UShs 50/kg. Prices are said to fluctuate from day to day depending on the results of bargaining between boatowner and trader.
Recently opened in Bwondha Parish of Bunya County, 80 km from Iganga and surrounded by the South Busoga Forest Reserve, Bwondha is the most productive landing in the district. The staff consists of 1 AFDO, 1 FA and 1 FG, who also supervise 7 other landings in the vacinity. Bwondha is active the whole day, receiving both fresh and processed fish. It is served by a long rough road that can become impassible during wet weather. The settlement has grown very rapidly since its establishment in 1981/82, the ranks of its population having been swollen considerably by an influx of forest reserve evictees. An estimated 3,500 people are now dwelling at the landing. Conditions are crowded, housing rough and poor, and social amenities minimal. The settlement has the appearance and atmosphere of a raw and booming shanty town. A vigorous service trade caters to the needs of residents and provides a crucial source of income for many of them.
About 200 fishermen are found here, of whom 38 are boat owners and 80 are gear owners. Fishermen often move out to Bwembe and Segitu and Labolo Islands to secure better catches. The CICS-aided Bwondha Fishing Co-operative Group, which was started in 1988 and has 45 members, has erected fish handling and processing facilities and is assisting members to obtain inputs on credit.
A total of 58 boats are on record at Bwondha, of which 36 are active fishing units and 8 are outboard-powered transport craft. The remaining 14 boats are inactive at present. Crew number 3 to 4 members per boat, and operate with between 2 to 10 nets. The fishery is primarily for Nile perch, and net sizes are thus of the larger 8" to 10" (stretched mesh) size. Angling, seining, and longlining are also quite evident here.
Average daily catch is estimated at 1.8 tonnes, consisting mainly of Nile perch and some tilapia. Catches of up to 7 tonnes per day have been recorded. Fish is marketed at Iganga, Mbale, Tororo, and Pallisa by about 130 fish traders. Beach prices for fresh fish at the time of visit were UShs 150/kg for tilapia and UShs 100/kg for Nile perch. Smoked Nile perch were reportedly fetching the rather high price of UShs 370/kg.
About two-thirds of the Bwondha catch is processed on site. Improved smoking kilns number 44 of which 10 are non-operational. Family labour is used for the processing operations. The poor road to the landing, long transport distances involved, and delays caused by heavy rains account for the extensive smoking that takes place. It is mainly Nile perch which is processed, since tilapia appears to find a ready market across the border.
No proper stores are available and processors have to use compartments in the smoking kilns when it proves necessary to keep fish. Transport is mainly by bicycle, some 80 of which are ridden in to collect loads on any given day. There are also three pick-ups which regularly serve the landing, and two pick-ups which come on occasion. In addition to the catch provided by the Bwondha-based boats, traders collect fish from boats which call in from Lubya, Jagusi, and Bumba landings.
Wakawaka Landing is in Nankoma Parish of Bukoli County, 33 km by rough track from Bugiri, on the main Jinja - Tororo road. It has been in operation since 1975. The two staff here are both FAs. Although they are also assigned to supervise Lwenge, Dokwe, Maruba, Matiko, Bumeru, Mulwanda and Buchiru landings, it is extremely difficult for them to move about without any means of transport.
The landing community has an estimated 300 residents who dwell in some 75 houses and run a variety of shops, eating houses, local beer and spirit bars, bicycle repair services, and other small scale enterprises that offer support to fisherfolk and traders. In addition to hosting a small fleet of fishing canoes in its own right, Wakawaka serves as a an important transit point for processed fish which comes in from outlying landings, and especially Bumeru. One transport canoe carries fresh fish from Bumeru each morning in time to meet the bicycle traders waiting at the landing. Bumeru fishermen consign their fish to the owner of the transport boat who will settle their payments later. The owner of each fish is known through the special mark he cuts on the fins or skin.
Fresh fish is landed each morning between the hours of 0700 and 0900; processed fish generally arrives on transport canoes during the afternoons. Most of the traffic in processed fish occurs on Monday, the main market day. Wakawaka currently provides a base for 20 boats, of which 16 are active fishing units, one serves as a transport craft, and three are out of commission. Until the middle of last year, the landing had as many as 50 boats. There has been a decline in numbers since then, owing to a major land dispute. Many people who had settled on sections of a very large tract of land in the immediate area have been forced to abandon their dwellings and gardens by the owner. The dispute has been long and acrimonious and marked with violence. Some of those forced to quit were canoe owners who have since decided to shift operations to other places where they can access to farming land.
There are some 40 fishermen still working at Wakawaka, 25 of whom are boat or gear owners. Crew normally number three young men per boat, and units operate with from 3 to 15 nets per boat. The mputa nets are mostly in the 7" to 8" (stretched mesh) range, whilst the ngege nets tend to be of the 4" to 6" size. A limited amount of longlining for Nile perch is practised by four of the canoes, although two of these combine longlining with their gillnet fishing. Hooks are of sizes 5 and 6, and are strung in small sets of from 15 to 20 per line. Fishing canoes are all propelled by paddle. The one transport canoe at the landing is powered by a 6HP outboard engine which the owner purchased several years ago through the Agricultural Development Project for a cost of UShs 400,000/-. Sails are not in widespread use, though some of the trading canoes which call on Mondays are reported to be wind propelled.
Because of rampant net theft in the area, it is common for crew to anchor all night to guard their sets on the fishing grounds. The routine followed is to leave the landing around 1800 in the evening, paddle the 5 or 10 kilometres to the fishing spots, set the nets at dusk, stay on station until 0600 hours in the morning, and then pull and clean the nets before returning to the beach to offload. The crew receive 40% of the daily catch to share between themselves, plus one fish apiece for food.
Average daily catch at Wakawaka is reckoned by the Fisheries staff to be 850 kg, consisting mainly of Nile perch and tilapia. The largest Nile perch landed on the day of visit weighed 68 kg, and it is reported that there are usually 4 or 5 mputa in the 50+ kg range offloaded each morning. The catch is marketed at Bugiri, Buwayo, and Busia, being delivered by about 70 fishmongers on an ordinary day or 200 on the market day (Monday). Transportation is mainly on bicycles, about 40 of which are expected on a normal day or 100 on the market day. Pick-up trucks sometimes call at the landing but there are none which come on a regular basis. Wakawaka Farmers and Fisheries Co-operative Society, with 45 members, is engaged in buying and selling fish at the landing. Reported beach prices per kg are: UShs 110/- for fresh and UShs 200/- for smoked Nile perch; and UShs 130 for fresh and UShs 160 for smoked tilapia. A growing traffic in sun-dried Rastrineobola is reported. This fish, known locally as mukene, is extremely popular across the border in Kenya and formerly large quantities were said to be smuggled over the water. More mukene is now passing through Wakawaka because of increased vigilance by the authorities on the lake.
Virtually no processing takes place directly at Wakawaka. The one kiln seen is reportedly non-operational at present. Abundant and cheap supplies of smoked fish are readily available from such sources as Lubya, Lolwe, and Kaza Islands. Much of the supply is said to be produced by women processors in these places. No proper stores exist at Wakawaka but consignments of processed fish awaiting marketing are kept in people's residences through informal arrangements.
The fisheries of Iganga District represent a flourishing industry providing food and employment directly and indirectly to several thousand rural people. However, the industry is seriously and in places critically constrained by lack of inputs, poor communication and social infrastructure, and insecurity of equipment. Net theft, itself a symptom of input shortages, is reportedly so rampant at some sites that crews must stay on station overnight, guarding their gear. It is remarkable how well the industry performs in the face of such constraints. The fact that levels of production remain quite high and the distribution system, based largely on the bicycle trade, manages to deliver fresh and processed products to such a vast area, provides strong testimony about the resilient and adaptive character of artisanal fisheries.
Another set of problems which has an adverse effect on the optimum development of the Iganga fisheries bears on the tenure status of residents in certain fishing communities, and the relations which obtain between the communities on the one hand and the forest reserve areas and their administrators on the other. Butte Landing is threatened with closure as efforts are made to evict spontaneous settlers from the vacinity. Wakawaka seems to be undergoing a decline in activity as a result of mass evictions of settlers from a nearby private ranching and farming estate. At the same time, it is clearly evident that continued pressure by settlers and fishing community residents on forest lands, in the form of agricultural encroachment and exploitation of live trees for fuelwood, charcoal, and construction materials, is causing rapid degradation of these unique environments and will lead to a situation in which the timber resource base will disappear.
Finally, in terms of the supervision and monitoring of the fisheries by the local Department staff, it is plain that the AFDOs, FAs, and FGs cannot function in any sort of effective fashion under current conditions. Their ability to move around between the various landings which they have been assigned to oversee is almost completely curtailed by the lack of transport facilities. The absence of weighing scales at many of the sites, the shortage of basic work supplies such as stationery, and the nonexistent or very inadequate staff housing and office facilities, can also be expected to contribute to substandard job performance and hence unreliable reporting of developments in the industry.
