Abstract:
Tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) is the major commercially exploited species contributes more
than 85% of the total annual landings from Lake Chamo, Ethiopia. On the other hand, its
potential is not studied in detail from the lakes of Ethiopia. In the present study, the Schaefer and
Fox models were used to predict the Maximum Sustainable yield (MSY) and fishing effort
maximum sustainable yield (fMSY) of Tilapia in Lake Chamo using catch effort data collected
over a period of 5years (2011-2015). The MSY of Tilapia in Lake Chamo is about 2319
tons/year and the optimum level of fishing effort to be expanded on the stock should be below
1219 gill nets per day. The current yield estimate is more than that of the actual yield. According
to the data collected, it shows that Tilapia in Lake Chamo is not overfished, and that the yield
may marginally increase if mesh size regulations are enforced and the number of gill nets is
restricted. |
