Uganda, March 20 -- The decision by the government to regulate the catching of silverfish has pushed its price up in the Busoga sub-region, the Monitor has learnt.

In a February 20 statement, the State Minister for Fisheries, Ms Hellen Adoa, banned the use of the hurry-up method used for catching silverfish in a bid to save the dwindling Nile Perch stock and also promote responsible fishing practices among the fishing communities.

Since then, unverified reports swirled that the government had summarily banned the fishing of silverfish on lakes, which prompted Ms Adoa to issue a clarification.

"I did not ban the fishing of silverfish; what was banned was the use of the hurry-up fishing method," Minister Adoa said on March 6 while addres...