ANALYSIS OF FACTORS AFFECTING FISH CATCH LEVELS FROM LAKE TANA, ETHIOPIA

Agriculture plays vital role in Ethiopian economy. However, despite its importance and potential, the sector has remained at subsistence level. One of the traditional sources of animal protein of the developing world is through livestock rearing. Unfortunately, the livestock production is under increasing pressure from the combined effects of human population growth, shortage of grazing land and desertification. Therefore, it is important to look for a better and cheap, alternative source of animal protein that is environmentally friendly. One of the alternative sources of animal protein could be fish. Ethiopia is endowed with lakes and reservoirs, Lake Tana is one of the potential lakes for fishing. However, it is still underdeveloped and its contribution is negligible. This study attempted to examine socio-economic and institutional factors influencing fish catch levels of fishermen from Lake Tana. For the study, primary and secondary data were used. Random sampling procedure was employed to select 134 sample fishermen fishing on Lake Tana. The required primary data were collected through interviews using structured questionnaire. Multiple linear regression model was used to identify factors influencing fish catch level. Results of regression analysis indicated, fisherman’s perception about fishery, types of boat the fisherman used in fishing, livestock holding size and income positively; age of the fisherman, family size of the fisherman, distance from the market and fisherman’s involvement in nonfarm activity negatively and significantly influenced fish catch level from Lake Tana. The finding of the study revealed that, improving Perception of fisherman in fishing, encouraging youngsters to involve in fishing, larger livestock holding amount of the fisherman and moderating the types of boat the fisherman uses for fishing can improve the amount of fish catch level. However, a fisherman involvements in nonfarm activities, having a larger family size, a longer distance to market and a fisherman’s income earned from farm has a negative impact on the amount of fish catch level from lake Tana. The policy implications are a need to aware, subsidies and encourage youngsters to involve in fishing, finding a way to the fisherman’s access to modern boat, transportation system transportation system transportation system transportation system transportation system transportation systemtransportation system, cool preservation facilities and should create nearby markets