Gambella University

College of Agriculture and Natural Resource

Department of Animal Science

Course: Fisheries And Aquaculture (AnSc232)

Instructor: Genanew Abate (Msc.)

October 2024
Gambella
 Chapter 1: Aquatic Ecosystems
Aquatic ecosystems are water bodies that include
oceans, lakes, rivers, streams, estuaries, and
wetlands.
1.1. Types of aquatic ecosystems
There are 3 types of aquatic ecosystems
i. Fresh water ecosystem
ii. Marine ecosystems
iii. Estuary ecosystems
1. Fresh water aquatic Ecosystems
 Freshwater ecosystems are a subset of Earth's
aquatic ecosystems. They include lakes, ponds,
rivers, streams, springs and wetlands having a
low salt concentration (<10mg/l)
 Three basic types of fresh water aquatic
ecosystems can be recognized. These are
i. Lentic
ii. Lotic and
iii. Wetlands ecosystems
i. Lentic ecosystem
They include all standing water habitats. Lakes
and ponds are the main examples of Lentic
Ecosystem.
The word lentic mainly refers to stationary or
relatively still water.
These ecosystems are home to algae, crabs,
shrimps, amphibians such as frogs and
salamanders, for both rooted and floating-leaved
plants and reptiles including alligators and other
water snakes are also found here.
ii. Lotic ecosystem
 They mainly refer to the rapidly flowing waters
that move in a unidirectional way including the
rivers and streams.
 These environments harbor numerous species of
insects such as beetles, mayflies, stoneflies and
several species of fishes including trout, eel,
minnow, etc.
 Apart from these aquatic species, these
ecosystems also include various mammals such
as beavers, river dolphins and otters.
iii. Wetlands
 It is ‘’areas of marsh, fen, peatland or water,
whether natural or artificial, permanentor
temporary, with water that is static or flowing,
fresh, brackish or salt, including areas of marine
water the depth of which at low tide does not
exceed six metres”
 are transition ecosystems between the aquatic
and terrestrial ecosystems as they are neither
fully terrestrial nor are fully aquatic
2.Marine Ecosystems
 Include sea and ocean and are characterized by
high salinity ≥370 gm/l (in terms of salinity)
 All marine waters are salty but not the reverse
(exception: few freshwater with considerable
salt conc)
 It is the largest aquatic ecosystems cover
approximately 71 % of the Earth's surface and
constitute about 97 % of the planet's water
 They generate 32% net primary production of
the world and Contains 58% fish species
3. Estuary ecosystem
An ecosystem formed at the junction of the
freshwater and marine ecosystems
Estuary ecosystem is the area where a freshwater
stream or river merges with the ocean and/or sea.
Salinity within the estuary varies from nearly
fresh water to ocean water; varies daily in areas
due to rise and fall of tides
• An estuary is a transitional zone between
rivers and sea representing an “ecotone”
possessing unique ecological features and
biotic communities
• The most salient feature of the estuarine
environment is the fluctuation in salinity and
sometimes, fluctuation of temperature is occur
 Aquatic ecosystems of Ethiopia

• Ethiopia is the water tower of east Africa and

possesses a great diversity of aquatic ecosystem

• Ethiopia has 3 major aquatic ecosystems:

1. Lakes
2. Rivers and
3. Wetlands
1. Lakes
Lake is a body of fresh or salt water that is
surrounded by land and it is larger and deeper
than a pond.
There are more than 30 major lakes that are
located in different ecological zone of Ethiopia.
Distribution and types of Ethiopian lakes
 The major Ethiopian lakes could be classified in
to 3 main categories. These are
i. Highland lakes, ii. crater lakes and iii. rift valley
lakes
i. Highland lakes:-

These are lakes located on the highlands of

Ethiopia.
The most popular example of highland lakes are
 Lake Tana
 Lake Ardibo
 Lake Hayq
 Lake Ashengie
 Bale mountain lakes
ii. Crater lakes
 They are mostly deep and circular in shapes
 They are small in surface area
 The most known crater lakes in Ethiopia are
 Lakes Arenguade
 Lake Babugaya
 Lake Hora
 Lake Cheleleka
 Lake Chitu
 Lake Zengena
iii. Rift valley lakes
 The Ethiopia rift valley lakes are the northern
most of the African rift valley lakes
 Most of the Ethiopian rift valley lakes do not have
an outlet, and most are alkaline
 The Ethiopian rift valley lakes could be further
classified into 3 sub categories:
a. Northern R. valley lake (Ziway,Langano, Abijata
and Shalla) commonly called shalla basin lakes
b. Central (Lake Hawassa)
c. Southern (lake Abaya and Chamo)
2. Rivers
 River is the natural watercourse that flowing to
ward an ocean, a lake, a sea or another river.
 In a few cases, a river simply flows in to the
ground or dries up completely before reaching
another water body.
 There are 12 major river basins in Ethiopia
 Theses are Abay, Awash, Ayisha, Baro-akobo,
Denkal, Genale dawa, Mereb, Ogaden, Omo-
gibe, Rift valley, Tekeze, Wabi-shebel
River basin categorization in Ethiopia, outflow
 There are three river systems
i. Nile river system (Abay, Baro-akobo, Mereb,
Tekeze) collectively called Blue Nile and merge
with white Nile at khartoum and form great
Nile River ...Egypt… ends @Mediterranean sea
ii. Rift valley system (Omo-gibe, Awash, Aysha,
Denakl, rift valley) ends in Lake turkana
iii. Somali system (Genale-dawa, Wabishebele,
Ogaden) flow to republic of Somali and ends at
Indian ocean.
3. Wetlands
 Somali-Masai wetland system:
 Tekeze Valley: This region has flood plains.
 Baro-Akobo: This region has wetlands in
Gambella.
 The wetlands in this biome include Lakes
Tana, Hayk, Ashange, Wonchi and, in the
Western Highlands, Gojjeb and Ghibe.
 Floodplains associated with the biome's lakes
and rivers are the Fogera and Dembia on the
shores of Lake Tana
Chapter 2: Fisheries &aquatic resources
Group assignments
Briefly describe the following
1. Discuss the two types of aquatic resources.G1
2. Write significance of fisheries and aquaculture.
for group 2.
3. Write the status of fisheries and aquaculture in
Ethiopia. (For group 3).
4. Describe principle and practices of fisheries
management legislation and regulation in
Ethiopia. (for group 4)
 Chapter 3: Fish Biology
3.1.External anatomy and morphology of fish
 Anatomy: the study of the structure of organisms,

including form, shape and appearance, is closely

related to morphology and physiology.
 Morphology is the study of the form and structure of
organisms, including aquatic organisms.
 Physiology is the study of the functions of organisms.
 Cont’d
 The body: divided into head, trunk, tail
 The scales: primary protection, but still a place
pathogens could infiltrate
 Lateral line: is present along middle side of body.
 Nares: located on dorsal side of the anterior end of head.

Each naris is divided into two portions which permits

water to circulate through the olfactory sac.
Barbels:
Also known as whiskers
Located under the mouth of a fish
 Are tactile and taste organs used for locating food in
dark or muddy waters.
Head:
o Eyes: located in lateral position at anterior end
of head.
o Ears??
o Operculum: Located at the posterior and lateral
positions of the head.
o Gill arch: Beneath the operculum are located
four pair of gill arches.
3.2.Internal anatomy and morphology of fish

 The Systems of a Fish

 Digestive System
 Respiratory System
 Circulatory System
 Nervous System
 Reproductive System
Digestive system
Respiratory systems
 Gills are organs of the Respiratory System
 Most fish have four pairs of gills enclosed in a gill
chamber on each side of the head
 Each gill consists of two rows of fleshy filaments
attached to a gill arch
How do fish breath?
o Fish gulp water through the mouth and pump it over the gills
o The breathing process begins when the gill covers close and
the mouth opens
o At the same time, the walls of the mouth expand outward,
drawing water into the mouth
o The walls of the mouth then move inward, the mouth closes,
and the gill covers open.
 How do fish breath….cont’d
 This action forces the water from the mouth into the gill
chambers
 In each chamber, the water passes over the gill filaments.

 They absorb oxygen from the water and replace it with

carbon dioxide formed during the breathing process.
 The water then passes out through the gill openings, and
the process is repeated
 3.3. Taxonomic and classification of fish

Fish can be classified on the bases of different

criteria such as
 size
 habitat distribution
 species
 lifespan
 feeding behavior
 reproduction behavior
 vision
 locomotion etc.
General classification
i. Actinopterygii (Ray-finned Fish):The largest class
of fish, characterized by bony skeletons and fins
supported by bony rays. Examples: Salmon, trout,
carps, perch and catfish.
ii. Chondrichthyes (Cartilaginous Fish): Fish with a
skeleton made of cartilage rather than bon.
Examples: Sharks, rays, and skates.
iii. Sarcopterygii (Lobe-finned Fish):Fish with
fleshy, lobed fins, which are more closely related to
tetrapods (land vertebrates).Examples: Coelacanths
and lungfish.
Fish classification based on the habitat

i. Fresh water fish and

ii. Marine water fish

 58% of extant fish species are salt water and

41% are fresh water inhabitants. The rest 1%
fishes are diadromous (live in both fresh and
marine water)
Ethiopian fish fauna distribution
 These drainage systems support more than 200
freshwater fish species
 Of these, about 45 are endemic and 10 are exotic.
 These fish fauna are a mixture of Nilo Sudanic,
East African and Endemic forms
Exotic fish species in ethiopia
 Carps
 Cyprinus carpio (common carp)
 Ctenopharyngodon idella (grass carp)
 Hypopthalmichthys molitrix (silver carp)
 Carassius auratus (goldfish)
 Tilapia zillii (red tilapia)
 Tilapia rendalii (redbreast tilapia)
 Salmotrutta (brown trout)
 Oncorhynchusmykiss (rainbow trout)
 Esox lucius (northern pike)
 Gambusiaholbrooki (mosquitofish)
Economically important fish specious
 Ethiopia has about 200 fish species which have
ecological and economical importance. However there
are seven commercially important fish species in
Ethiopia as indicated in table bellow.
Common name Scientific name Local name
 Nile Perch Latus niloticus Nech Asa
 Nile tilapia Oreochromis niloticus Kereso
 Catfish Clarias gariepinus Ambaza
 Barbus Barbus species Bilcha
 Bagrus Bagrus docmak Kerkero
 Labeo Labeo horie Barbo
 Common carp Cyprinus carpio Duba
 Chapter 4 Feeding of fish
 The survival, growth and reproduction of a
fish depend on the income of energy and
nutrient generated by its feeding activities

 An ecological analysis of feeding must answer

three basic questions:
 what is eaten,
 when it is eaten and
 how much is eaten.
4.1. Trophic category of fish
 Fishes occupy virtually every possible trophic
level, from herbivorous species such as tilapia
feeding on unicellular algae to

 secondary carnivores, for example the Nile

perch which eats other fish.

 Some fish species are found in the decomposer

food chain, utilizing detritus or scavenger.
General classification of trophic categories of
fish.
1.Detritvorous:-fish that feed on detritus (partially
decomposed plant material). eg. Tilapia, Barbus

2. Scavengers:-fish species that feed on dead and

decomposed animal materials. Eg. Anguilla Anguilla,
African catfish (C.garipinus).

3. Herbivorous:-fish that feed on plant materials. It

further classified:-
a. Phytoplanktivorous:- fish that feed on
phytoplankton.eg. O. niloticus
 b. Grazers: - fish that feed on perphyton (algae which
is grown by attaching themselves with rock) e.g.
Hypostomus
c. Browsers: - fish feed on every part of plant materials
(macrophytes) e.g. Tilapia Zilli.
4. Omnivorous:-fish feed on both plant and animal
materials but at the same time they can feed on Insectes.
Eg. Synodontis Shall, Barbus, Clarias
a. Planktivores:- those that feed on planktons,
microscopic plants and animal life water including
bacteria.
5. Carnivorous:-fish feed on animal body. It can be:-
a. Piscivorous fish: Fish that feed on other fish species.
eg. Nile perch
The following are some morphology of fish that
tells their feeding habits.

1.Mouth size

2.Teeth type

3. Intestine length

4.Stomuch
Body Carnivores Herbivores
Mouth size Big Small

Teeth Marginal pharyngeal

(sharp teeth) teeth
Stomach Strong muscle Weak muscle

Intestine Short Long

length
Carnivore

Omnivore

Omnivore

Herbivore
4.2. Methods of determining the food and
feeding habits of fish
Diet composition
 A description of the composition of the diet should
indicate the relative importance of the items eaten by
fish.
 Diet can rarely be studied by direct observing feeding
behavior and identifying what is eaten.
 Usually the diet is sampled by extracting the stomach
contains either by killing the fish and dissecting out
the stomach which is called dissection methods or
called flushing
 Stomach content analysis provides insights into
feeding behavior, food web dynamics, and the
ecological role of the fish species.
 The methods are used to provide a quantitative
description of stomach content samples.
 There are three methods of stomach content
analysis
1. Frequency of occurrence
2. Numerical methods
3. Volumetric (gravimetric) methods
1. Frequency of occurrence
 After identification of the food categories present
in the stomachs,
 the number of stomach in which a given food
category occurs is expressed as a percentage of
the total number of stomach samples.

 This methods tells how frequently a given food

items present and absence in a given stomachs

 It is the simplest method of stomach content

analysis
2. Numerical analysis
 It is based on the counts of constituent items in the gut
content.
 The importance of the category is then usually estimated
by expressing the number of items in that category as
a percentage of the total number of items counted in all
stomachs.
 This method emphasizes the impotence of small,
countable and food items that have same magnitude
or size.
 In other word, numerical analysis can not be used when
the diet contains significant proportion of plant materials
or detritus, categories which do not include discrete or
individual prey.
3. Volumetric and gravimetric methods.
 The volume of the food items are taken into
considerations
 In the former, the volume of each category in each
stomach is estimated.
 In the later, the weight of each category is measured.
 In both methods, the relative importance of a food
category can be expressed as the percentage of the
total volume or weight of all categories present in
the sample.
 It is commonly used for both countable and
uncountable food items.
Sampling consideration for stomach content
analysis
o There are different factors that make stomach
content analysis to be challenge full;

1. Regurgitation; bring (swallowed food) up

again to the mouth
2. Digestion after capture
3. Abnormal / sudden feeding
Chapter 5: Reproduction and Growth in Fishes

5.1 Reproduction in fishes

 Reproduction is the biological process through
which organisms produce new individuals,
ensuring the continuation of their species.
 Generally, two types of reproduction are seen in
fish.
1. Sexual reproduction
2. Asexual reproduction
 Sexual reproduction

It is the fusion of sperm and eggs

It require two parents 1 male and 1 female

Depending on the species fertilization takes

place either internal or external

Nearly all animals reproduce sexually

 Asexual reproduction
It is the type of reproduction in which new
individuals produce from a single parents
without the formation of gametes.
It enables animals to reproduce without a
partner.
It occurs mainly in lower animals,
microorganisms and plants.
Example, invertebrates and starfish. Star fish
able to generate an entirely new being from a
fragment of their original body.
Specifically, fish reproduction could be further
classified based on the following:-

 Based on gender system

 Based on parental care

 Based on mode of fertilization

Based on gender system:- based on the gender
system fish reproduction classified in to 3.
i. Gonochoristic (bisexual reproduction)
ii. Parthenogenesis (unisexuality)
iii. Hermaphroditic
i. Gonochoristic reproduction
It is the most common type of reproduction
Fish having separate sex organs
Fertilization may takes place either internal or
externally
It is under the main category of sexual
reproduction
ii. Parthenogenesis (unisexuality)
 It is the development of young without
fertilization
 It occurs in the tropical fish
 All female population of fish produced (female
produce female)
 The female require mating with a male, but the
sperm serve as to stimulating the eggs to develop
(to start cell division), it does not take any part in
heredity
 It is under the main category of asexual
reproduction. E.g. Gold fish (exotic for ziway)
iii. Hermaphroditic
Both male and female sex organs are found in the
same individual.
It is common in deep water fish due to finding
the mate is difficult.
The main advantage of hermaphroditism is the
assurance of a reproductive partner.
It is common in invertebrates, star fish and plants
It is under the main category of asexual
reproduction
Hermaphrodites are divided in to 2 main
categories(synchronous & sequential).
Synchronous (simultaneous) hermaphrodite
 Fish having both active male and active female
reproductive organs at the same time.
 The left gonad is the ovary and the right one is the
testis or vice versa.
 During mating, one individual will lay eggs while
an other fertilize the egg, after which both will
revers role and perform fertilization a gain.
 Although self fertilization is exist, it is rare
 Sychronous hermaphrodite do notfertilize
themselves ; self-fertilization do not promote
genetic diversity and can increase genetic defects
from parents to offspring's.