Managing Fisheries and Aquaculture for Sustainable Food and Nutrition Security in Ethiopia

Abstract

A ten-years fishery and aquaculture master plan (FAMP) spanning from 2024/25 to 2033/34 has been developed by the Ministry of Agriculture to enhance fish production, particularly by leveraging aquaculture potential in Ethiopia. This paper reviewed the current status of fisheries and aquaculture and showed intervention measures required for utilizing the resources in a sustainable manner. Ethiopia's annual capture fisheries production potential is estimated at 127,969 tons from its 16,100 km² of lentic water bodies and 8,065 km of flowing rivers. In recent years, capture fish production grew rapidly from 50,150 tons in 2013 to 101,000 tons in 2022, approaching the country’s production potential. On the other hand, the country possesses over 15,158 km² of land highly suitable for aquaculture development with an estimated fish production potential of 402,000 tons by 2034. Although aquaculture production grew from 41 tons in 2013 to 1,070 tons in 2022, mainly due to the expansion of pond aquaculture, it still accounts about 1% of the total fish production in the country. This paper describes major aquaculture practices, the history of fish stocking and fish species for culturing along with their current status and future prospects. The potential of aquaculture in Ethiopia remains untapped, which calls for timely interventions to enhance fish stock in existing water bodies and expand land-based aquaculture using different culture technologies following FAMP strategic approaches.