The need for a trawl fishery on Lake Victoria

The idea of mechanised fishing on Lake Victoria is not new. Trawling experiments have been carried out in the past by the East African Freshwater Fisheries Research Organisation (EAFFRO), the Lake Victoria Fisheries Service and the Uganda Fisheries Department. In 1950 it was recognised by EAFFRO that commercial possibilities existed in the exploitation of Haplochromis by this gear. However, it was not until 1966 that, by a happy collaboration of the Uganda Fisheries Department and EAFFRO, the vessel 'Darter' was converted into a stern trawler and serious and successful experimentation into trawl fishing commenced. Darter has continued to undertake trawling work ever since and this work was augmented by the arrival in 1967 of the Lake Victoria Fisheries Research Project's vessel 'Ibis'.