By FRANCINA PHIRI –
FISHERIES department and police in Mwansabombwe have arrested six people for being in possession of more than 416 kilogrammes of assorted fish during the on-going fish ban.
Mwansabombwe District fisheries and livestock coordinator Donatello Singa said the six were nabbed at the weekend when a team from the department was conducting a night patrol.
Mr Singa said illegal fishing was rampant in Kapala village in Chief Mwata Kazembe’s area where the locals were defying the fishing ban with impunity on the Luapula River.
He urged Mwansabombwe residents to adhering to the rules and regulations set by Government.
“We are strongly advising the people of Mwansabombwe to find other sources of income during the fish ban period to avoid the wrath of the law,” Mr Singa said.
He said regardless of the fact that fishing was a main source of income for most people in the district; the fishing ban was aimed at allowing breeding process to take place.
Meanwhile, Mr Singa said that transport was one of the major challenges for the department as it could not reach the far flung areas on time.
He appealed to Government to equip the department with transport to its operations during fish ban.
And Mwansabombwe district commissioner Victor Kasuba has commended officers from the Fisheries Department and the Police in the area for their vigilance to arrest the law breakers.
Mr Kasuba said culprits must be brought to book and police must also stiffen punishment to deter would be offenders.
“Fisheries department are doing a great job in their operation to ensure that the fish ban is observed in the district, “he said.