Access of Fisheries Information to Fishers in Lake Tana, Amhara Region, Ethiopia

Abstract

Lake Tana is Ethiopia’s largest lake which carries more than 80% of the total volume of Nile River. The objective of this study was to analyze fisheries’ access to information and technologies in Lake Tana. Raw data collected from four landing sites of Lake Tana (Bahird Zuria, Gorgora, Metreabaworka and Bata kebele) and filled in STATA by Nationa Fishery and other Aquatic Life Research Center, Agricultural Research Directorate was used. Then the data was analysed using simple descriptive statistics. According to the result, most of the fishers (71.4 %) were male. the result revealed that the majority of fishers were between the age range of 20 and 54 years. On the other hand the result depicts that half of (50.6 %) of the fishers had no formal education, while others have been educated from grade 1 up to diploma level. According to the result 85.7% of the fishers were married, while 9.9% of them were unmarried. On the other hand Fishing experience ranged between 1 and 30 years, with the mean of 12.2 years. The majority of respondents (88 %) revealed that they got advisory services and trainings from woreda experts and development agents. But, the woreda experts as well as development agents use camp to camp visit to get fish producers and also they arrange trainings when some fish producers are busy on their job. So, to have efficient and effective fishing practice the concerned body has to expand the way of transferring technologies to the fishers through electronic media, bulletins and so on. On the other hand the woreda need to arrange trainings according to fishers’ preferable schedule.

Keywords: fishers, Lake Tana, Ethiopia, Bahirdar, Amhara Region, access to information

DOI: 10.7176/RHSS/9-21-01

Publication date: November 30^th 2019