Fisheries production system scenario in Ethiopia

Abstract

Ethiopia has 12 river basins with an annual runoff volume of 122 billion m3 of water and an estimated 2.6 - 6.5 billion m3 of ground water potential, which makes an average of 1575 m3 of physically available water per person per year, a relatively large volume. Thus, the country has substantial fishery resources in the inland lakes and rivers. The potential yield of fish is estimated around 51,481 t/year for the main water bodies, of which only around 24% is exploited presently. Hence, for most water bodies, the production exploited is far below the estimated potential yield. There are several reasons attributed to the low production among which the age-old fishing methods, economic backwardness, adverse religious practices, most of the fish catches from the lakes reach the market by traditional means of transportation without any preservation facilities, poor fish marketing traditions, lack and implementation of fishery regulation policy; and infrastructure; and also in some cases aquatic pollution. In addition to these open accesses to the resources have resulted in mismanagement of the fishery resources. Hence, the issue of appropriate management is an urgent need to address for the contribution of the fishery as a source of food, income and employment for the majority of the population around the lakes in particular and in the country in general. This can be done either by the government or by the fishing communities themselves or by both.