Socio economic study on the fisheries of Jemma and Wonchit River, Ethiopia

Abstract

Fishing plays a critical role as a ‘bank in the water’ for local populations. This study aimed to: (1) assess the importance of fisheries in improving farmer’s livelihood in the study area. (2) assess household’s involvement in fisheries, and (3) recommend means of interventions for sustainable utilization of the river fisheries. The most popular fishing gears used for fishing are the seed of Millettia ferruginea and barks of Balanites aegyptiaca. The main fish type consumed by the community are Clarias gariepinus and Labeobarbus intermedius fish species in fresh and sun dried forms but Oreochromis niloticus is not known as it is edible. The farmers have a good fish consumption habit which is by far greater than the town’s inhabitants. Hence, Farming and fishing are overwhelmingly the most important activities for household food supply and means of income generation. However, fish catches from the rivers have declined significantly because of the destructive way of fishing, water pollution, and resource encroachment.