Fishery Resources, Conservation Challenges and Management Strategies in Ethiopia

Abstract

The purpose of this review article is to explore the fishery resources, potentials, conservation challenges, and management strategies of Ethiopian water bodies. Ethiopia is one of the landlocked countries in the horn of Africa characterized with a wide range of ecological, geographical, edaphic, and climatic conditions that account for a wide diversity of its biological resources both in terms of flora and fauna. It has a high diversity of Ichthyologic Fauna, accounts for over 200 fish species. In average, the production potential yield of Ethiopia is accounted for 94,500 tons per annum in different water bodies. However, the actual production is 38,370, still far below the estimated potential yield. The main factors contributed to low production of fish including illegal fishing activities, lack of awareness, overfishing, wetland degradation, deforestation, invasive species, lack of infrastructure, and technologies. Capacity building towards aquatic policies, legislation and regulation, community empowerment, pollution control, invasive alien species control, threatened species conservation, integrated watershed management plan, illegal fishing, area and seasonal closure, and public awareness creation is needed to save the water bodies and to increase fishery production.