Tens of thousands of fish died due to lack of oxygen in Hardebe and Logo lakes in Debub Wello Zone of Ethiopia’s Amhara regional state.
Dr. Asefa Tesema, a hydrologist in Wello University Wednesday said that the fishes died due to oxygen depletion in the deep lakes that in turn had been caused by water pollution.
The hydrologist said he has seen thousands of dead fish floating on the lakes since last month. The Wello University confirmed the fish kill was due to oxygen depletion.
Logo Lake has been filled with silt and garbage and that contributed to the death of the fishes, Dr. Asefa said adding the university is investigating the incident.
Fishing contributed less than 1 percent of the gross domestic product in Ethiopia. A study revealed that Ethiopian fishers catch only 30 percent of an estimated potential of 50,000 tonnes of fish.
MG/abj/APA