Assessing the willingness of fishermen to adopt the use of gill nets in Namasagali sub county, Kamuli District

Abstract

This study assessed the willingness of fishermen to adopt the legal fishing gear specifically the gill nets of recommended size (slot above 4 inches), the sample size was determined using purposive sampling. Respondents were selected based on specific criteria where individuals having information or experience about fisheries activities of Namasagali Sub-county were selected purposively. The sample size was of 30 people (fishermen, fish mongers, sand miners, and farmers) focused on information rich cases and emphasized on depth over breadth, this enabled efficient use of resources. A structured questionnaire consisting of a predetermined set of questions of fitted response options was used in this survey to collect data from respondents in a systematic and standardized manner in Namasagali Sub-county Kamuli district (September 2024). The collected primary data was coded, entered into Microsoft Excel software, cleaned, filtered and then analyzed. The analyzed data was presented using descriptive statistics summarized in tables, frequencies, bar charts to assess the associations between variables, such as the relationship between socioeconomic

characteristics and willingness to adopt legal fishing gears. The study examined the socio-economic characteristics of respondents. The findings of the study indicated that all respondents (100%) had prior knowledge about gill nets, 75% (23) of the respondents were willing to adopt the use of gillnets of recommended size if it could increase their catches and incomes, while 25% (7) of the respondents were uncomfortable with taking up the use of gillnets. This indicates that there is an increased probability of people taking up the use of gillnets of recommended size in Namasagali Sub-county. from the study the largest population of the respondents (47%) fall within the age group of 25-34 years indicating that there is quite a larger proportion of young people engaged in fishing activities as compared to older groups which poses an advantage in adoption of new technologies such as the gillnet use. Results from the study showed that the government through its various programs is highly supporting gillnets adoption by fishermen, however also various non-government organizations have come to support adoption of gillnets to ensure the sustainability of fisheries resources in Namasagali fishing village, these align with previous studies (Kaczynski et al .,2017; Nielsen et al .,2018). Highly recommend that hands-on training and demonstrations be given to fishermen on the proper use and maintenance of gill nets and also existing fishing regulations and policies in Uganda be reviewed and analyzed to ensure they support sustainable fishing practices.