by
Tyler Palamar, formerly at the
Library and Information
Centre (2001/2002)
Fisheries Resources Research Institute (FIRRI), Jinja,
Uganda
INSTITUTIONS
There are twelve organizations in Uganda which participate in the provision of fisheries and aquaculture information, specifically dealing with matters relating to the freshwater environment. Nine of these focus specifically on fisheries and aquaculture related issues, as follows:
1. Fisheries Resources Research Institute (FIRRI): Jinja http://www.naro.go.ug/research_institutes/FIRRI.htm
2. Fish Technology Laboratory: Entebbe
3. Fisheries Resources Department (FRD): Entebbe
4. Fisheries Resources Research Institute (FIRRI): Kampala
5. Fisheries Training Institute (FTI): Entebbe
6. Kajjansi Fisheries Research Station: Kampala (Kajjansi)
7. Lake Victoria Fisheries Organization (LVFO): Jinja. <http://www.inweh.unu.edu/lvfo/>
8. Uganda Fisheries and Fish Conservation Association (UFFCA): Kampala
9. Makerere University Department of Zoology: Kampala. <http://www.makerere.ac.ug/>
The remaining three deal mainly with agriculture, including some fisheries related issues:
1. Agricultural Information for Development in Eastern Africa (AGRIDEA): Kampala
2. Food Science and Technology Research Institute (FOSRI): Kampala http://www.naro.go.ug/research_institutes/FOSRI.htm
3. National Agriculture Research Organization (NARO): Entebbe http://www.naro.go.ug
TYPES OF ORGANIZATION
Training: The Fisheries Training Institute in Entebbe was set up in order to provide students with hands on training in fisheries and aquaculture sciences.
University: The Department of Zoology at Makerere University is part of a larger academic institution. The Department provides a general B.Sc. in Fisheries and Aquaculture and M.Sc. and Ph.D. programmes are also available.
Governmental: national: The Fisheries Resources Department (FRD) is part of the Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries. The Department is responsible for advising the Government of Uganda on policy issues relating to fisheries and aquaculture.
Regional fisheries body: The Lake Victoria Fisheries Organization (LVFO) is a body created by the governments of Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania and its objectives are:
1. to foster co-operation amongst the Contracting Parties (country governments) in matters regarding Lake Victoria;
2. to harmonise national measures for the sustainable utilisation of the living resources of the Lake; and
3. to develop and adopt conservation and management measures to assure the health of the Lake's ecosystem and the sustainability of its living resources.
Research institutions: There are a number of institutions which participate in fisheries research in Uganda, including FIRRI, the Kajjansi Fisheries Research Station (aquaculture related), the Fish Technology Laboratory, the Food Science and Technology Research Institute (FOSRI). Each of these institutions is part of the National Agriculture Research Organization (NARO), an umbrella governmental organization. NARO was established with a mandate to undertake, promote and coordinate research in all aspects of crops, fisheries, forestry and livestock, and ensuring dissemination and application of research results. The Lake Victoria Fisheries Organization (LVFO) and the Fisheries Resources Research Institute (Kampala) also conduct some research activities.
Non governmental: There are also organizations within Uganda that do not fall into the above categories but which instead perform functions which are advisory in nature such as the Agricultural Information for Development in Eastern Africa (AGRIDEA) and the Uganda Fisheries and Fish Conservation Association (UFFCA).
COOPERATION
The above institutions collaborate with each other to varying degrees and many of them participate in regional or international cooperation activities and projects. LVFO is mandated to create linkages with fisheries institutions in each of the partner countries i.e. in Uganda with FRD and FIRRI (including the Kajjansi Fisheries Research Station); in Kenya with the Fisheries Department (FD-K) and Kenya Marine and Fisheries Research Institute (KMFRI) and in Tanzania the Fisheries Division (FD-T) and the Tanzania Fisheries Research Institute (TAFIRI).
The NARO institutions have formalized cooperation and each also works with FRD, Entebbe. The FIRRI provides research opportunities for the Masters and Ph.D. students from the Zoology Department of Makerere University to work alongside FIRRI scientists. The Kajjansi Fisheries Research Station is considered to be a unit of FIRRI and there is active cooperation between the organizations.
