Of late, The Ethiopian Herald had a short stay with Abebe Getahun, a Professor of Aquatic Biology at the Department of Zoological Sciences, Addis Ababa University concerning Ethiopian fisheries and aquaculture, the contribution of fish and fish trade in Ethiopia as well as other things of a similar kind.
As of Professor Abebe, Ethiopia is endowed with several water bodies (lakes, rivers, natural ponds, and reservoirs) and is considered as the water tower of Eastern Africa. These Ethiopian inland water bodies harbor about 200 so far recorded fish species, including 191 indigenous and 9 exotic species; of which 45 species are endemic, making Ethiopia one of the five endemic fish species rich African countries. The high diversity plays key role in enhancing the fishery and aquaculture potential of Ethiopia.
Fisheries and aquaculture play a crucial role in food and nutrition security, employment creation, means of income generation, and improved livelihoods. In Ethiopia, over a million people are reported to be directly or indirectly engaged on the fisheries and aquaculture sector for their livelihood. However, as it stands now, this sector is contributing an insignificant amount to the country's GDP, though the assessment of the actual value and extent of fisheries value chain activities, goods, and services that are assessed in calculating the GDP is debatable.
As a result, the sector at large remained marginalized in terms of human capacity development as well as implementing proper management measures for its conservation. This condition is much worse at regional levels than at federal level, as the human resource and capacity and organizational structure appears to be weaker as we go to the different regions.
Reflecting on the contribution of fish and fish trade in Ethiopia, professor Abebe said that according to the recently completed Fisheries and Aquaculture Master Plan (FAMP), there has been a rise in local, regional export, international import fish markets, catering to both local and imported fresh and seafood products. These markets, largely located in Addis Ababa, trade both local and imported products, contributing to the economy and meeting the demand for fish products at both local and international levels. Other key markets include the Gambella dry fish market, the Gonder zone of the Amhara region, the Tendaho fish market, and the Lake Tana fish market in Bahir Dar.
Although the documentation of Ethiopian cross-border fish trade remains inadequate, the country imports significant quantities of fish from neighboring nations. It is noteworthy that some of these imports are subsequently re-exported to Sudan through the border with South Sudan. Most fish traders lack access to essential cold chains, including ice and insulated containers. However, only a few enterprises for fish handling and preservation are equipped with electricity and potable water.
It is now evident (FAMP, 2024) that Ethiopian fish exports have experienced a substantial growth, rising from 15 tons in 2012 to 720 tons in 2020. Similarly, the foreign earnings generated from fish exports have also seen a significant increase, rising from USD 57,000 to 361,000 during the same period. On the other hand, there is an upward trend in fish imports, which escalated from 345 tons in 2012 to 371 tons in 2020. Consequently, the expenditure on fish imports witnessed a corresponding increase, soaring from USD 517,000 to 1,183,000 within the given timeframe. Overall, it is important to note that the substantial amount of foreign exchange earnings is being lost due to the importation of fish.
He further explained that the fishing industry has significant potential for growth, contributing to food security, nutrition, job opportunities, and profitable production and marketing value chains. Though the potential of the capture fisheries is very much limited (potential of 128,000 tons/year), the aquaculture sector is untapped and has the potential to produce some 402,000 tons per year. There are investment opportunities in making of fishing vessels, aquatic tourism, marketing, aquaculture products, processing, and in insuring product safety through safe transportation. There is high potential for local investment in fish production.
What is encouraging and most interesting is the recent completion of the Fisheries and Aquaculture Master Plan (FAMP) for Ethiopia. This master plan was developed in 2024 by the Ministry of Agriculture with financial assistance from the World Bank. The master plan has identified the most crucial problems hindering the development of capture fisheries and aquaculture in Ethiopia and framed the way out of this quagmire and suggested most feasible solutions. It has also identified and listed bankable projects, if and when implemented could bring about considerable changes in the sector.
It is envisaged over the next ten years the master plan will urgently address the existing fish deficit and demand with expected improvement in fish consumption. The FAMP has adopted the Ecosystem Approach to Aquaculture and Fisheries by way of involving and considering stakeholder concerns, as well as other uses and users of the fisheries ecosystems.
The FAMP is also well aligned to the draft Agriculture Policy (2023), the 10-Year National Development Plan (2021/22-2031/32), the National Blue Economy Strategy, the IGAD Regional Blue Economy Strategy, and the AU guidelines for Policy Reform and Restructuring of the Fisheries and Aquaculture Sector. The FAMP has also extensively been informed by international policies and protocols, and is aimed at improving social services, social protection, and support for marginalized groups, women, and youth.
Moreover, it is universally accepted that fish biodiversity mainstreaming, the consideration of biodiversity across fisheries and aquaculture sector, is vital for the productivity and health of the aquatic ecosystem. This could be achieved through integration of fish diversity into the policy, strategies and action plans of the sector.
There has, so far, been little or no attention given to the fish biodiversity issues to mainstream them into the sector at Federal and Regional levels. Rather, more emphasis is given to the production sector, with some focus only on commercially important species. More striking, though, is the fact that even in regions where we find interesting and globally important fish biodiversity (e.g., the Labeobarbus spp. flock of Lake Tana), most actors of the sector emphasize on their economic importance than their biodiversity value. In other words, there must be appreciation for the market and non-market values of biodiversity and the provisioning and regulatory services that ecosystems provide, while having accountability for the full footprint of fishing and fishery related activities.
Regarding the current status of Ethiopian fisheries, Prof. Abebe said that the fish production potential from capture fishery has recently (after the Fisheries and Aquaculture Master Plan) been reported as 128,000 tons annually. Previously, the estimate has been about 94,500 tons per year. The newly constructed reservoirs/dams elevated the potential capture fishery production by more than 30%. However, the capture fisheries potential is very much limited given the high human population of the country. Even if the potential of the capture fisheries is fully exploited, the per-capita production still remains around 1 kg, which sets it to be one of the lowest in the world. The average per-capita consumption of fish in the world is 20kg, while it is 10kg in Africa and 5.7kg in East Africa.
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Therefore, the aquaculture sub-sector is the most promising sector, if Ethiopia is to fulfill its need for fish derived protein for its population and income generation through high level production. However, currently, the aquaculture sub-sector is among the least developed and untapped potentials. It is limited to few fish ponds found at farmer's yard and limited commercial farms operating in the country.
The recent report indicates that fish production from aquaculture is about 1,020 tons annually but with growing interest and high expansion rate and possibilities. Obviously, this requires engagement of the private sector and expanding and integrating aquaculture into rural production systems such as rice growing, poultry, and horticultural production.
Hence, with an extensive management system, Ethiopia has an estimated annual production potential of 134,000 tons of fish from smallholder or rural aquaculture. Much more potential is envisaged through adoption and support to commercial aquaculture, especially on large water bodies (lakes, rivers, and Dams/reservoirs like GERD) where commercial fish farms (pens and cages) can be established. Taking the minimum, this puts the potential for aquaculture production at 402,000 tons annually with over 60% expected from adoption of commercial intensive aquaculture.
The problems in the expansion of aquaculture mainly rest on two factors; fish feed and fingerling productions. The high cost of ingredients, low uptake, poor distribution, high logistical costs, high inflation, and difficulty in obtaining hard currency for imported components or ingredients limit the adoption and expansion of the aquaculture industry. According to the ten years master plan for fisheries and aquaculture in Ethiopia, the country will need to produce 1,415,640 tons of feed to meet the required nearly 752,230 tons of feed annually by year 2034.
