Biology and management of fish stocks in Bahir Dar Gulf, Lake Tana, Ethiopia

The biology of the fish stocks of the major species in the Bahir Dar Gulf of Lake Tana, the largest lake in Ethiopia, has been studied based on data collected during August 1990 to September 1993. The distribution, reproduction patterns, growth and mortality dynamics and gillnet selectivity of these stocks are described.The major fish categories, Barbus spp., Clarias gariepinus, and Oreochromis niloticus contribute equally to the catches. O. niloticus is most abundant in the shallow littoral zone, while C. gariepinus and the larger piscivorous Barbus species are found mainly in the deeper open water area of the lake. These larger species are mainly exploited by the motorized boat fishery. The catch from the reed boat fishery, confined to the littoral zone, consists mainly of O. niloticus and Barbus tsanensis.The breeding activity of all major species is associated with the rainy period and increase in lake water level. C. gariepinus has a short breeding period in July whereas O. niloticus and B. tsanensis show extended activity with peak breeding during July and September-October respectively. They are fully recruited to the fishery at 2 - 4 years of age well beyond the age of maturity. During the breeding period a higher catch rate is observed for Barbus species.The sustainable potential yield of 32 kg.ha. -1.yr. -1estimated for the Bahir Dar Gulf area, indicates that there is scope for some expansion of the fishery. The shortage in fish storage, distribution and marketing facilities, the limited local market and lack of fishing tradition are major constraints to the development of the fishery.</p

The global burden of cancer attributable to risk factors, 2010-19 : a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019

Background Understanding the magnitude of cancer burden attributable to potentially modifiable risk factors is crucial for development of effective prevention and mitigation strategies. We analysed results from the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD) 2019 to inform cancer control planning efforts globally. Methods The GBD 2019 comparative risk assessment framework was used to estimate cancer burden attributable to behavioural, environmental and occupational, and metabolic risk factors. A total of 82 risk-outcome pairs were included on the basis of the World Cancer Research Fund criteria. Estimated cancer deaths and disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs) in 2019 and change in these measures between 2010 and 2019 are presented. Findings Globally, in 2019, the risk factors included in this analysis accounted for 4.45 million (95% uncertainty interval 4.01-4.94) deaths and 105 million (95.0-116) DALYs for both sexes combined, representing 44.4% (41.3-48.4) of all cancer deaths and 42.0% (39.1-45.6) of all DALYs. There were 2.88 million (2.60-3.18) risk-attributable cancer deaths in males (50.6% [47.8-54.1] of all male cancer deaths) and 1.58 million (1.36-1.84) risk-attributable cancer deaths in females (36.3% [32.5-41.3] of all female cancer deaths). The leading risk factors at the most detailed level globally for risk-attributable cancer deaths and DALYs in 2019 for both sexes combined were smoking, followed by alcohol use and high BMI. Risk-attributable cancer burden varied by world region and Socio-demographic Index (SDI), with smoking, unsafe sex, and alcohol use being the three leading risk factors for risk-attributable cancer DALYs in low SDI locations in 2019, whereas DALYs in high SDI locations mirrored the top three global risk factor rankings. From 2010 to 2019, global risk-attributable cancer deaths increased by 20.4% (12.6-28.4) and DALYs by 16.8% (8.8-25.0), with the greatest percentage increase in metabolic risks (34.7% [27.9-42.8] and 33.3% [25.8-42.0]). Interpretation The leading risk factors contributing to global cancer burden in 2019 were behavioural, whereas metabolic risk factors saw the largest increases between 2010 and 2019. Reducing exposure to these modifiable risk factors would decrease cancer mortality and DALY rates worldwide, and policies should be tailored appropriately to local cancer risk factor burden. Copyright (C) 2022 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an Open Access article under the CC BY 4.0 license.Peer reviewe

Global investments in pandemic preparedness and COVID-19: development assistance and domestic spending on health between 1990 and 2026

Background The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted gaps in health surveillance systems, disease prevention, and treatment globally. Among the many factors that might have led to these gaps is the issue of the financing of national health systems, especially in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs), as well as a robust global system for pandemic preparedness. We aimed to provide a comparative assessment of global health spending at the onset of the pandemic; characterise the amount of development assistance for pandemic preparedness and response disbursed in the first 2 years of the COVID-19 pandemic; and examine expectations for future health spending and put into context the expected need for investment in pandemic preparedness. Methods In this analysis of global health spending between 1990 and 2021, and prediction from 2021 to 2026, we estimated four sources of health spending: development assistance for health (DAH), government spending, out-of-pocket spending, and prepaid private spending across 204 countries and territories. We used the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)'s Creditor Reporting System (CRS) and the WHO Global Health Expenditure Database (GHED) to estimate spending. We estimated development assistance for general health, COVID-19 response, and pandemic preparedness and response using a keyword search. Health spending estimates were combined with estimates of resources needed for pandemic prevention and preparedness to analyse future health spending patterns, relative to need. Findings In 2019, at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, US$9·2 trillion (95$7·3 trillion (95% UI 7·2–7·4) in 2019; 293·7 times the $24·8 billion (95$43·1 billion in development assistance was provided to maintain or improve health. The pandemic led to an unprecedented increase in development assistance targeted towards health; in 2020 and 2021, $1·8 billion in DAH contributions was provided towards pandemic preparedness in LMICs, and$37·8 billion was provided for the health-related COVID-19 response. Although the support for pandemic preparedness is 12·2% of the recommended target by the High-Level Independent Panel (HLIP), the support provided for the health-related COVID-19 response is 252·2% of the recommended target. Additionally, projected spending estimates suggest that between 2022 and 2026, governments in 17 (95% UI 11–21) of the 137 LMICs will observe an increase in national government health spending equivalent to an addition of 1% of GDP, as recommended by the HLIP. Interpretation There was an unprecedented scale-up in DAH in 2020 and 2021. We have a unique opportunity at this time to sustain funding for crucial global health functions, including pandemic preparedness. However, historical patterns of underfunding of pandemic preparedness suggest that deliberate effort must be made to ensure funding is maintained

Past, current and potential production of fish in lake Ziway - Central Rift Valley in Ethiopia

The Ethiopian / Netherlands project: Ecosystems for Water, Food and Economic Development aims to strengthen local authorities, development organisations and the private sector in the field of sustainable land and water use and sound environmental planning and management, with the aim to contribute to the sustainable development of the CRV . So far the project has a strong focus on water/ agriculture and over the past few years, the project has developed a sound knowledge base of the problems at stake in the Central Rift Valley (CRV). Major conclusion of the project is that the current way of water and land resources development is not sustainable and will sooner of later result in an environmental and humanitarian crises. One of the main reasons for this deteriorating situation is the surface water extraction for irrigation purposes by smallholders in the upstream areas, resulting in the watershed-wide drop of surface water tables and increased Stalinization of water resources. These changes directly impact the resource productivity of downstream water resources like Lake Ziway and the Bulbula river. Ultimately the drop in surface water will influence livelihood strategies of communities living down streams and reduce the resilience of ecosystems and the biodiversity of lake Abiyata and the national park. There is ample evidence from similar cases in Ethiopia, that the water resources will gradually become saline, will silt up as a result of increased erosion and will become ecologically poor waste lands

Declining stocks of Lake Tana's endemic Barbus species flock (Pisces, Cyprinidae): natural variation or human impact?

The only remaining species flock of endemic, large cyprinid fishes is found in Lake Tana, Ethiopia. A monthly experimental trawl program was conducted in 1991-1993 and 1999-2001, sampling 12 stations distributed over three habitats differing in depth and distance to shore. The aim was to compare the total abundance, spatial distribution and proportion of juveniles of the most common Barbus species in the Bahar Dar Gulf between both periods. We found a sharp reduction (75%) in total abundance, both in number and biomass of the Barbus species and even more (90%) in the number of juveniles between the two periods. However, the spatial distribution of the different Barbus species over the three habitats had not changed. High natural variability in fish stocks might be expected in environmentally unstable lakes. Although strongly pulsed (seasonal), Lake Tana is a relatively stable system. No major differences were found in abiotic parameters in 1990s that could have caused the dramatic changes in abundance. The most likely explanation is the negative impact of the motorised, commercial gillnet fishery targeting the spawning aggregations of these barbs. The drastic decline in juveniles points especially towards serious recruitment over-fishing. The results stress the need for the immediate development of a sound management plan focussing on fishing effort restrictions during the Bat-bus breeding season. (C) 2003 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved

Declining stocks of Lake Tana's endemic Barbus species flock (Pisces, Cyprinidae): natural variation or human impact?

The only remaining species flock of endemic, large cyprinid fishes is found in Lake Tana, Ethiopia. A monthly experimental trawl program was conducted in 1991-1993 and 1999-2001, sampling 12 stations distributed over three habitats differing in depth and distance to shore. The aim was to compare the total abundance, spatial distribution and proportion of juveniles of the most common Barbus species in the Bahar Dar Gulf between both periods. We found a sharp reduction (75%) in total abundance, both in number and biomass of the Barbus species and even more (90%) in the number of juveniles between the two periods. However, the spatial distribution of the different Barbus species over the three habitats had not changed. High natural variability in fish stocks might be expected in environmentally unstable lakes. Although strongly pulsed (seasonal), Lake Tana is a relatively stable system. No major differences were found in abiotic parameters in 1990s that could have caused the dramatic changes in abundance. The most likely explanation is the negative impact of the motorised, commercial gillnet fishery targeting the spawning aggregations of these barbs. The drastic decline in juveniles points especially towards serious recruitment over-fishing. The results stress the need for the immediate development of a sound management plan focussing on fishing effort restrictions during the Bat-bus breeding season. (C) 2003 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved

Length at maturity and gillnet selectivity of Lake Tana's Barbus species (Ethiopia): Implications for management and conservation

Lake Tana’s 15 large Barbus species form the only known intact endemic cyprinid species flock left in the world. The barbs contribute around one third of the total annual catch of the motorised commercial gillnet fishery which was introduced in 1986. A dramatic reduction of the adult Barbus stocks and the even lower proportion of recruits at the end of the 1990s, show the necessity for the development, implementation and control of fisheries legislation in Lake Tana. The reproductive biology of the Barbus species, essential for fishery management, is poorly known. This paper presents results on size at maturity, size at harvest and gillnet selectivity curves, which can be used to provide a scientific base for management proposals. Size at maturity varied widely among the Barbus species, ranging from 18.8 cm in Barbus brevicephalus to 44.3 cm in Barbus crassibarbis. Males matured at smaller size and reached smaller maximum length than females. Estimated selectivity curves fitted closely orwere slightly larger than the observed length-frequency distribution of the commercial catch. The vast majority (85%) of barbs landed by the commercial gillnet fishery were mature. Fishing pressure on juvenile, immature fish is unlikely to be the cause of the observed decrease in Barbus stocks. Size control regulations like mesh sizerestrictions, intended to protect the immature part of fish populations are expected to have little positive effects on the Barbus stocks and are therefore not recommended. The drastic reduction in barbs during the 1990s is most like due to recruitment overfishing, that is, poorly regulated high fishing effort by the commercial gillnet fishery on the spawning aggregations of adult barbs during their annual breeding migration in river mouths andsurrounding floodplains. Only effort control regulations limiting the gillnet fishery in the spawning season and/or areas will prevent a total collapse of the Barbus stocks as has happened to other cyprinids in African lakes. Suchmeasures have to be implemented urgently to guarantee the conservation of Lake Tana’s unique biodiversity as a sustainable source of cheap protein and as a natural laboratory to study the evolutionary processes underlying speciation in freshwater fish