Aquaculture is increasingly promoted as a strategy for enhancing global food security, fostering economic development, and supporting fishery sustainability . However, its rapid growth has outpaced both research and the establishment of governance frameworks that balance industry expansion with the need to mitigate social and ecological risks. Inequities in who gains from aquaculture and who bears its social and environmental costs can undermine local support and long-term sustainability and recent findings suggest that different farm types may have variable social and ecological risks and benefits to local communities . Given large growth of the aquaculture sector in Lake Victoria, we aim to use a mixed-methods approach to understand the livelihood and food security impacts of aquaculture for fish farm workers and local community members and explore local perceptions of aquaculture governance mechanisms and impacts on the environment and local communities . We will also identify farm characteristics that lead to positive livelihood outcomes for local community members in Uganda. Key informant interviews will be conducted with managers and owners at fish farms and community leaders of fishing communities, and household surveys will be conducted wi th farm workers and community members who reside near and far away from aquaculture sites . We predict that farm workers will exhibit higher food security and higher dietary and livelihood diversity scores compared to local communities , but that households near aquaculture will demonstrate higher food security and dietary and livelihood diversity compared to those farther away from aquaculture sites . We also predict that perceived negative impacts of the industry will be greater for local communities compared to farm workers, while perceived positive impacts of the industry will be greater for farm workers. Additionally, we predict that large-scale producers that had high community engagement, local hiring and fish selling programs, strong environmental management efforts, an d fair wages for employees will contribute to higher food security and dietary diversity for farm workers and local communities. As aquaculture continues to be the focus of global food security, further research on identifying ways in which the sector can positively impact livelihoods and nutrition will be invaluable. We hope the findings of this study can inform sustainable approaches to aquaculture governance in Lake Victoria.