Challenges and Opportunities of Fishery

Cooperatives in Tendaho Reservoir

ETHIOPIAN INSTITUTE OF AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH

(EIAR)

National Fisheries and Aquatic Life Research Center

A Focused Group Discussion Output Report by

Yared Mesfin Fikadu

May 23, 2018

Sebeta
 INTRODUCTION

Fish has played an important role in food security of many countries and contributes to
do so globally by providing 15-20% of the daily animal protein intake. Fish production in
Ethiopia has mainly emanated from capture fishery from main lakes, reservoirs and
rivers. The potential yield of these water bodies is estimated to be around 94,500t/year
(Gashaw Tesfaye & Wolff, 2014). This yield was estimated to be around 73,100tins/year for
lakes and reservoirs while the remaining 21,400tons/year was for riverine systems.
According to the same source, Gashaw Tesfaye and Wolf, 2014, the fish production
potential of reservoirs in Ethiopia with area greater than 10km square was estimated to be
8,059 tons/year.

Many countries of the world are now practicing reservoir fisheries as an effective way of
increasing fish production under the semi-intensive system. There is an immense
experience in countries like South America, Asia and Africa in utilizing reservoir for
fishery. The effectiveness of using reservoir based capture fishery as an alternative fish
production system is in terms of the relatively less cost and technical skills demanded by
those who are involved in the activity. It also brings additional income and fulfills
household food security by people mostly residing in peri-urban areas.

For the development of fish production in Ethiopia, Sebeta Fishery research center, now
called the National Fisheries and Aquatic Life Research Center had stocked fish
fingerlings of various species, size and shapes to different water bodies in the country.
Among these, the Koka, Fincha, Melka, Wakena and Tendaho reservoirs were the major
ones. Among these the afar regional state bureau of pastoral development has built the
Tendaho reservoir primarily for the purpose of irrigation to support dry land agriculture.

Tendaho reservoir has a surface area of 170 km2 with a maximum and average depth of
53m and 11m respectively. The reservoir has a large network of canals and supplies an
irrigation service for 60,000 ha of land. The main canal has a length of 72 km, a width of
22 kms and depth of 2.5m which feed into several tertiary canals
The reservoir is a home for several fish species such as Garra Makiensis and
Varicorhinus beso which are found endemic to the Awash River. Commercially
important fish species are also found in the river namely Tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus),
Catfish (Clarias gariepinus), common carp (Cyprinus Carpio) and Barbus species. These
species have well formed different size classes in the reservoir indicating their well
adaptability to the environment.

The dam was mainly established for the purpose of supporting the local inhabitants in
terms of achieving food security, employment creation, substitution of imported (canned)
fish and development of the private sector through the expansion of hotels, restaurants
and specialty shops selling fish and fish products.

Previous studies conducted on the Dam indicated that it has a fish production potential of
55kg/ha/year to 103kg/ha/year with an average of 79 kg/ha/year, which is equivalent to
938 to1,759 t/ha/year. The dam could also potentially support 170 to 340 fishermen or an
average of 255 fishers with 2 gillnets each with a stretched 10cm mesh size, 100m long
and 30m wide.

The main pooling factors for the establishment of capture fishery in Tendaho Dam is the
presence of high demand for fish among the Afar Inhabitants hailing from other areas of
the country where fish is commonly consumed such as Wollo (Desse Hayiq Lake); Bahir
Dar (Lake Bahir Dar); Hawassa and other urban areas of the country. In addition, Truck
drivers moving to and from Djibouti, hotels and restaurants in major cities of the region
were initially presumed to be potential consumers of fish. Meanwhile, there was also an
intention of adapting the fish consumption habit to the livelihood of the local community.

Consequently, the Tendaho and Mile fishers’ cooperative was formed with the support of
the zonal pastoral bureau and the office of cooperative development in the region. The
cooperatives were founded in 2002 E.C. The Mile fishers cooperative was mainly
mandated to doing the fishing activity while the Tendaho was engaged in dong the
marketing activity. These cooperatives were formed from pastoralists in Kassiyonalasse
and Haresisena kebeles around Logya and Mile towns.
 Issues and Details of Focus Group Discussions Made with Fishers of Tendaho Reservoir

During the value chain analysis survey, two successive FGDs were conducted: one at
Tendaho Fisher’s cooperative marketing site and the other at Mile. The discussion
included 9 participants as members of the Tendaho fishers’ cooperatives at the marketing
spot and 4facilitators from NFALRC. The facilitators were: Mr. Abebe Cheffo, Mr Yared
Mesfin. Mesay Yami (Ph.D) and Mr. Alemayehu Wube

At the commencement of the focus group discussion, names, age, years of experience in
fishery activities, village area of their origin and contact address of the participants
(fishers) were listed in the order as shown below:

S/No Name of the Participants Age Years of Village of Contact

(Members of the Fishing experience their origin Address
cooperative) (years) (Mob)
1 Hussein Dawud 70 0 Gesaye None
(Leas)
2 Ali Mohammed 60 3 Gurumudal 0929-32-60-95
e
3 Mohammed Hassen 36 4 Gurumudal 0943-24-26-20
e
4 Nura Nasri 30 7 Gurumudal 0910-91-54-23
e
5 Sahli Ali Mohammed 32 7 Gurumudal 0921-12-09-58
e
6 Hasen Humed 20 3 Gurumudal 0983-69-12-46
e
7 Mohammed Ibrahim Ali 25 3 Gurumudal 0983-18-84-82
e
8 Mohammed Hamedu 20 3 Gurumudal None
e
9 Adbella Mohammed 20 3 Gurumudal 0902-15-30-34
Adbella e
The focus group discussion includes points such as common methods of fishing used by the fishers
depending on the species type. The first query was forwarded by Abebe Cheffo to Mr Hassen Mohammed
on the methods of catching catfish. The basic points raised were:

 Fishers of Tendaho reservoir normally use 3 separate hooks attached to the tip of a long line fishing
instrument.
 They use the flesh of tilapia, saldin (barbus) or frogs as a means to catch the catfish.

 For tilapia they use the mosquito net but not the proper fishing net (gill net) due to the unavailability
and less number of tilapia fish among the catch.
 For catching tilapia and Barbus, they use some food left overs such as scrambled bread

The timing of fishing activity was taken as an important point for discussion. Meanwhile the
participants also added that the customary period of the day for proper fishing activity was at night
time. Hence, they added that Afternoon 11:00-1:00 is the time specified for stretching (aligning) the
long line and search for catching catfish. From 2:00 at night to 12:00 in the morning it is time for
net stretching for tilapia.

Regarding the process, Mr. Nora Nasri added that one fisher on average holds around 10 hooks on a
fishing line while going for fishing. One hook on average serves for 2 days. With this specific case
20 kg of catfish is caught by the group on average bases.

In processing Tilapia: cleaning, gutting and filleting is done at the landing site or Mile where the
harvest is fetched from. However, this practice is coming to its cease as the demand for Tilapia is
declining from time to time. On the contrary, the demand for catfish is rising and it is this type of
fish which the local community is well adapted to.

Major challenges raised during the focus group discussion

 Presence of crocodile as a predator for fish and hindrance for the fishing activity in general
 Lack or shortage of fishing equipments such as hook and fishing gear
 Seasonality of market demand for their catch which can be explained in an annual calendar
 Lack of efficient fishing skills expressed in terms of fishing effort and effectiveness of catch
 Shortage of better processing skills and preservation techniques such as smoking and drying
 Frequent interruption of electricity leading to spoilage of the fish stored in the refrigerator
 Lack of cost effective and sustainable transportation facilities for fetching the catch as well as
selling the processed fish.
 A non operational processing room due to the unfulfillment of certain processing equipments,
motor boats and a solar refrigerator which needs repair.
 No training on issues of saving and loan, their importance and methods of dealing with financial
cases.
 No attachment has been made to benefit the fishers on issues of saving and loan service delivery in
relation to banks
 Insufficient training on fish harvesting and post harvest fish processing techniques
 Absence of training on motorboat, refrigerator and fishing net maintenance for self managed
system of business in fishery

In the discussion, the major fish species available in the reservoir are Bilcha, Duba Asa (Carp),
Nech Asa, and Tilapia. Among these, the three first mentioned species have almost no demand in
the area.

Major Events in the development of the dam and appearance of the cooperative as a
fishers’ cooperative
First of all, the discussants (fishers’) were fully aware of the fact that the stocking activity was done
by the National Fisheries and Aquatic Life Research Center (NFALRC) in Sebeta. According to
these groups, the following historical trends reveal how the dam was developed into a source of
fishing activity:

2002 E.C:- Study was done by NFALRC on the suitability of the dam for fishing activity and the
cooperative was established

2003 E.C.:- For a training on capture fishery organized by VSF and the regional bureau of pastoral
development, 7 participants from the cooperative members were sent to Bahr dar and Arbaminch
Lakes.

2004 E.C.: Catfish and Tilapia were introduced /stocked/ to the Dam

2008 E.C.: The dam had dried out leading to the death of several fish in number and species

Actors involved in supporting the cooperatives

Input Suppliers (Training, Physical Input delivery and other facilitation activities)
VSF (Veterinary Sans Frontires): A German Based NGO operating in Afar
region and involved in the area of livestock resource development
 Training
 Boat, Fishing net, Refrigerator and other Processing Equipments
 Promotional Support and Event Organization
Regional Bureau of Pastoral Development
 Training
 Market Linkage
Regional Bureau of Cooperative Development
 Training
 Work Place facilitation
Semera University
 Supply of fishing inputs such as gill net and fish processing equipments

Raw Fish Suppliers and Trading Scheme

Both members and non members of the cooperative are eligible to supply fish to
the Tendaho Fishers’ cooperative at its marketing center in Logya. Practically,
they are the members who are currently supplying fish. There is a price
differentiation between members and non members of the cooperative for
supplying their catch. The selling price for members is at 25 birr per kg of
catfish while it is at 30 birr per kg for the non members.

The main reason the difference against members as reported by the participants
was due to the other fringe benefits which they can exercise by being a member
Vis a Vis the non members. The two major benefits as reported by the
participants were: opportunity of getting loan, saving services and advantage of
cost coverage and getting other social services with mutual support among the
members.

Status of the Members

Currently, the association consists of 72 members among which 30 are active
and 42 are relatively passive, seeking more support from the priors. It consists
of mixed sex groups who are operating in different labour divisions.

Fish Harvest Yield and Calendar of Harvest

1. September= High water coverage (flooding) and the Dam gets filled up.
Hence the fish yield from the harvested gets lower (1-2.5kg).

2. October= the water level of the dam partially lowers down and an average
yield (3.5-4kg) is obtained

3. November-December= the water level of the dam stays the same as that of
the October and an average yield (3.5-4kg) is obtained.
4. January-April= Water level of the dam gets extremely lower and maximum
fish yield (around 30 kg per harvesting cycle on a day basis) and a minimum
yield of 25kg is obtained

5. May-August= the water level gets higher again and moderate yield can be
obtained. On these months the yield obtained has a maximum limit of 8kg
and a minimum limit of 6 kg per harvest on a day basis. On average basis
the yield of catfish which can be obtained within these months is 3.5-4kgs.

Summary of Harvesting Seasons and Fish Yield (Catfish)

The period when the lowest fish yield is harvested is the one with the lowest
daily temperature and highly raised water level of the dam. This period includes
only one month, which is September.

The period when lower but still unsatisfactory yield is obtained includes seven
additional months: October-December (3 months) and May- August (4 months).
Hence, the period when unsatisfactorily lower fish yield is found includes a total
of 8 months. On these months, fishing activity is almost nil or the fishers’ stop
fishing activity.

The period of peak fishing activity is the one when the water level gets extremely
lower and the daily temperature is the highest. This includes a period of 4
months (January-April)

Average Yield

September
October-December
January-April
May-August

Fig 1. Seasonal variation in the yield distribution of catfish (as responded by the
participant members of the Tendaho fishery cooperative)
 From the above chart it can be seen that majority of the fish harvest in a given
year is obtained from January-April. This is a peak season for the fish harvest.
This by itself had posed a problem in the market orientation of the cooperative
and contributed for the loss of significant amount of fish harvest. The focus
group discussants also confirmed the fact that the peak harvesting season
(January-April) is the season of maximum loss of fish associated with the
maximum harvest due to 3 major problem that the cooperative faced: Limited
storage capacity of the refrigerator (up to a maximum capacity of 200kg),
Electric power interruption and shortage of cost effective transportation
facilities.

Strength of the Cooperative

 Proper documentation of all tasks within the fishing activity such as selling,
fetching and dumping the spoiled ones including the revenue and associated
costs. Documentation is done on a monthly classification and daily basis.
 Self driven market assessment, search and linkages (especially with hotels and
individual customers

Generally, status of the cooperative explained using the SWOT (Strength,

Weakness, Opportunity and Threat) analysis is shown in the matrix below:

SWOT ANALYSIS OF THE COOPERATIVES STATUS

Strength
 Well organized documentation of
activities including all the activities and
sub activities performed, costs and
revenue generated from fish marketing
(There is a record of such activities from
2003 onwards)
 Good and self driven market linkage
with private customers and Hotels
(which in this case is referred to as
retailers).Strong communication with
fish customers in the central town.
Weakness
 Lack of systematic supply scheme and
bias in delivering fish products
 Lack of consistency in fish supply
 Lack/ Absence of Promotion activities
about the presence and source of fish
sold at Tendaho fishers’ cooperatives.
 Post harvest loss and lack of internal
capacity to manage the loss
systematically
Opportunity
 Presence of supportive organizations
(institutions) in the study area such
as the regional pastoral development
bureau and NGOs such as VSF
German supporting their fishing
activity
 Emerging demand for fish in the area
due to increasing number of residents
hailing from other areas such as
workers in universities and other
organizations
Threat
 Presence of biological predators such
as crocodile in the Dam
 Seasonal variation in the water level of
the dam, due to several climatic
factors, which directly affects fish
yield from harvest
 Frequent interruption of electric power
supply and limited storage capacity of
the fish harvested.
 Shortage of cost effective (permanent)
transportation facilities and systems
 Queries on the Spoilage of Fish

A question was forwarded on how the participants identify the spoilage of fish. In
response, the participants reported to have known the bad smell that the fish
exhibits after storage. In addition, tenderness of the meat (catfish) while being cut
signifies the healthy status of catfish meat. On the contrary, soft and cracking
fish-meat indicates that the fish has spoiled. Another indicator for fish spoilage is
the absence of blood flow when the head of catfish is cut-off.

Status of Customers and Fish Sales

The focus group discussants indicated that there are more than 40 permanent
and individual customers of their produce. They have an average sales of 16kg of
catfish to these customers in a week. They receive an average daily harvest of 5kg
of catfish per annum. However, it is the hotels which take the lion’s share of
catfish supply from the cooperative (95.4%-95.6% of the overall fish
supply/produce from the cooperative)

List of Customers and the range of supply

S/No Market Number Amount of Catfish supply Average price Average price
destination of Hotels per period per kg during per kg during
towns fasting season non fasting season
1 Logya 11 20kg/day (140kg/week) 60birr/kg 50birr/kg
2 Semera 2 1.142-1.428kg/day 60birr/kg 50birr/kg
(8-10kg/week)
3 Dubti 2 8kg-10kg/day 60birr/kg 50birr/kg
(56kg-70kg/week)
4 Aysayta 1 5kg-6kg/day 60birr/kg 50birr/kg
(35kg-42kg/week)
5 Diseto 2 3.3kg/day (23.3kg/week) 60birr/kg 50birr/kg
6 Bure 1 0.7142kg/day (5kg/week) 60birr/kg 50birr/kg
7 Menda 1 0.7142kg/day (5kg/week) 60birr/kg 50birr/kg
Total 20 Potential Supply=
 334.3-355.3kg/week

From the above table, one can understand that there are 20 hotels registered as
permanent customers for the fishery cooperative. Assuming that all hotels are
recipients of raw fish, there will be a minimum supply of 334.3 kg per week and a
maximum supply of 355.3 kg. On average, the amount of raw fish supply for individual
buyers in a week is 112kg.

Hotels are permanent customers of the cooperative demanding more fish from time to
time on a fixed bases and within a fixed time (usually on a daily bases). However,
individual consumers are usually irregular. In both cases, the highest fish demand is
observed within the fasting period. The sale is also higher in the same period.

An Over View of Hotels Receiving Catfish, Amount Received and Price per kg

S/No Market Number Name of Frequenc Amount Average Average price

destinatio of the Hotels y received price per kg during
n Hotels of requestper per kg non fasting
towns (supply) day/week during season
Per week fasting
season
1 Logya 3 Selam, Every 105-210kg,60birr/kg 60birr/kg
Tinsae Day 105-140kg
and Or 7 daysand
Wazema a week 70-105
kg/week
Respectivel
y
8 Semen 2 times a 10kg/week70birr/kg 70birr/kg
Hotel Week
Ajip Hotel
Fetih café
Nebir Café
Serkalem
Hotel
Woyni
Hotel
And 2 more
2 Semera 2 - Once in 8-10kg/ 70birr/kg 60birr/kg
a week week
3 Dubti 1 Jemal 2 times a 12kg and 70birr/kg 60birr/kg
Hotel, Week 20kg
Africa Hotel per week
respectively
4 Aysayta 2 - Once in 6-7kg/ 70birr/kg 70birr/kg
a week week
 4 Diseto 2 - Once in 10kg/week70birr/kg 70birr/kg
a week
5 Bure 1 - Once in 8kg/week 70birr/kg 70birr/week
a week
6 Manda 1 - Once in 4.9kg/ 70birr/kg 70birr/kg
10 days week
Total Number of Hotels=20 Min Supply=60.9 kg/week and
Max Supply= 79.9kg/week

In Logya town, 3 hotels: Selam, Wazema and Tinsae are permanent customers paying a
price of 60 birr/kg and receiving 15-30kg/day, 10-15kg/day and 15-20kg/day
respectively. The remaining 8 hotels receive catfish once in 3 days or twice a week at a
price of 70 birr/kg. (Implication: The selling price of catfish varies from customer to
customer at hotel level depending on the frequency of purchase (customer regularity)
and amount of catfish supplied to). The same is true for hotels in other towns.

Conservation thought of the Tendaho fishery cooperative members

Do you think that the fish harvested from the dam could once run out?
For this question, the respondents replied positively in a sense that there will be a limit
for the fish harvested and at one time they could run out. Hence, they replied that if the
fish is not fitting to the minimum size for harvest (usually the catfish) they would put it
back to the water.

The Perception of Fishers Towards the current selling price of catfish

The major or almost sole fish product of Tendaho reservoir for sale is catfish. The price
is this fish species has kept on increasing from time to time. According to the
information generated in the discussion, supported by a recorded document of sales and
revenues, the price has escalated from 12 birr in 2003 to 70 birr in 2010. Regarding the
progress the discussants we happy in the way the price has escalated from year to year
but still expect more price increment now onwards. They are still not happy with the
current price of catfish and claimed to have expected it to be 80-100 birr per kg as being
sufficient.

Major Impacts of the Dam as Perceived by the Fishers’

 Reduced amount of water left for their livestock

 Has reduced the rainfall intensity in the area
 Has abandoned the importance of our ownership of farmland
 A FOCUS GROUP DISCUSSION WITH MILLE FISHERY COOPERATIVE MEMBERS
(HYAKELE FISHERY COOPERATIVE AT MILLE SITE)

The second round focus group discussion was conducted with seven participants of
Tendaho Fishery cooperative at Mille. Profile of the participant fishers’ with the issues
discussed is presented as follows:

S/No Name of the Participants Age Years of Village of Contact

(Members of the Fishery experience their origin Address
cooperative) (years) (Mob)
1 Mohammed Habib 40 3 Usu Haris 0921-55-78-11
2 Hamed Ali 62 - Gasiyona -
laas
3 Umed Mohammed 17 3 Gasiyona -
laas
4 Siraj Hussen 20 3 Gasiyona -
laas
5 Ibrahim Mohammed 19 3 Halsis -
6 Ali Hussein 30 4 Gasiyona -
laas
7 Kedir Abdu 25 3 Halsis 0938-63-04-60
 For harvesting, the fishers do not use gill net, as the ground (surface) is irregular with
ups and downs with small tree trunks hindering the fishing activity. Hence, the fishers
do not use gill net; rather they use long lines with hooks for harvesting catfish.

At mile site, the cooperative has 40 members out of which 25 are active. Regarding
major events that took place within the cooperative, the following points were raised:

 In 2002, Fish was stocked to the dam by NFALRC (national fisheries and aquatic life
research center)
 In 2003, the fishery cooperatives were organized as Mille fishery Cooperative.
 On the same year, the regional pastoral and agro pastoral office purchased 300 rounds
of threads and 2 packs (around 500 pieces) of hooks to help them make a long line
fishing apparatus. Then, 7 representatives from the cooperative were sent to Semera,
Gamo Gofa (Arba Minch) and Bahir Dar for a theoretical and practical training on
capture fishery. The Training was hosted by VSF (Veterinaries Sans Frontires) of
Germany and the Regional Pastoral and Agro Pastoral Office. Then, Motor boats, a solar
refrigerator, ice boxes and some fish processing equipments (such as a processing
table) were purchased and handed over to the cooperative.
 In 2007 another species of fish locally named as “ Nech Asa” was introduced to the dam

Note: Challenges faced by the cooperative in relation to the fishing activity is the same
as those mentioned before.

Who are the Main Actors in the Fishing Activity around Tendaho?

In the focus group discussion, we have identified 9 Major actors within the Tendaho
dam fishing activities:

1. Hyakele Fishery Cooperative (Mille Fishery Cooperative)

2. Tendaho Fishery Cooperative
3. The regional pastoral and agro pastoral office
4. VSF (Veterinaries Sans Frontires)
5. Semera University
6. The former Women’s fish selling cooperatives
7. The regional cooperative bureau (Office)
8. Customers of the fishery cooperatives (Consumers)
9. Bajaj Vehicle Owners