Title:-Fish Assemblages and Biology Along the Altitudinal Gradient and Other Land Use and Environmental Changes of Birr River, Abbay Basin, Ethiopia
Name: Birtukan Tsegaye Demisse
Address: Bahirdar University,
Email: birtukantse30@gmail.com
Phone +251915636281
Ethiopia is the richest water-tower country from East Africa and has many inland water bodies. Fishery Play a primary source of livelihood for many households. Despite its importance, resources are facing challenges, mainly unwise use of resources, land-based activities, environmental degradation pollution and limited scientific information. Proper fish resource management and investigation has been carried out only in a few of the fresh water bodies. Knowledge on diversity, population structure, distribution and population of the Ethiopian ichthyo fauna and biology of fish species has been poorly investigated. The health of fish community reflects conditions of entire aquatic community, but information on fish species diversity and abundance should be first investigated before any assessment on fish health community carried out. Rivers are the most important sources of freshwater and play a significant role in economic development and maintaining ecosystem services. Birr River provides a habitat to different aquatic organisms. It also plays an economical role for local community. The diversity and community structure of fishes in any water body are important for conservation and management. Biodiversity information within an area is vital for development of adequate conservation strategies. Diversity promotes the stability of communities and ecosystem processes. Information on the number of fish in population is necessary to determine the effects of fishing. Therefore the aim of the study is to assess the status of riverine fish, land use land cover, water quality, reproduction, feeding and socioeconomic value and possible conservation threats of Birr River. The study follows random sampling techniques by qualitative and quantitative data from Birr River.
Keyword Biology, Diversity, Fisheries, Land based activity