Journal des pêches et de l'aquaculture
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Assessment of Current Status of Fishermen Cooperatives at Selected Oromia Water Bodies, Ethiopia

Addisu Hailu*, Alemayehu Abebe

This study was conducted to assess current status of fishermen cooperatives in selected Oromia water bodies, Ethiopia that was aimed to update the information which will be used in fisheries management in major lakes and reservoirs. Both primary and secondary data sources were used to conduct the study. The primary data was collected from the fishermen organized at Lakes Zeway, Langano and Beseka and reservoirs Koka, Fincha and Gilgel-gibe. Papers were reviewed literatures and different secondary information source to conduct this study. The study included fishermen’s sociodemographic, educational status, fishing experience, purpose of fishing, season of fishing, fishing activities, fishing boat, fishing gears, saving practices and women participation. Data was analyzed using STATA version 14. A total of 154 fishermen (98.05% male), and 18 fishermen cooperatives operating on the selected lakes and reservoirs were interviewed during the survey. The livelihoods of majority of fishermen’s were fishing activities and some of them depend on mixing farming systems including crop production, livestock and petty trade. Among the respondent fishers, 88 (57.14) were involved in fishing activities year round. The majority of fishermen in selected water bodies responded that average fish catch per day was less than 10 kg. The main commercial fish species in Zeway, Koka, Langano water bodies were Nile Tilapia, African catfish, common carp and crucian carp and whereas in case Fincha and Gilgel-gibe, Nile tilapia and common carp fish species and African catfish in lake Beseka. The Tobit model was employed with household participation in saving as the dependent variable and the results shown that family size of household, access of fishing equipment, number of livestock unit, access of credit service and annual income of household from farming are significant determinants of saving decision of households. Based on these findings, we recommend that government policy intervention should focus on awareness creation and education on lakes and reservoir managements, increasing the availability and accessibility of credit services for fishermen, strengthen fishermen through providing fishing equipment's, increasing fishermen income through income source diversification and awareness creation for fishermen on how to improve saving practice.