Hebo, Mamo(PhDYosef, Tesfatseyon2022-03-302023-11-042022-03-302023-11-042017-11http://etd.aau.edu.et/handle/123456789/31015ResidenTs oj Hawassa ciTy and The surrounding rural comll1UniTies have close inTero u ion with Lake Hawassa. The interaction Tak es different Jorms and involves di l'e rse inte resTs-fi velillOod interest being the most important one. This study mainly f ocused on IIndersTandin g th e local people 's livelihood-based interaction with Lake Hawassa through fishing praCTi ces. The study Jurther aimed at exploring the socio-economic and legal (policy) f aclOrs that have been affecting, positively or negatively, the fishers-lake interaction. Daw has been collected Through qualiTaTi ve (obse rvation, in-depth interviews, FCDs and case studies) metlwd and suppOrT ed lViTh some qllanTiTaTi ve (questionnaire survey) meThod. DaTa analysis in volved descripTion, inTerpreTaTion and thernatically-based explanations. Th e study result revea ls thaT Lake j-Iawass(I provides di verse services 10 The populafion inhabiting its catchmenTS: scenic selling Jar TOurism and associated di ve rse businesses, and wafer for irrigation and ciTy heaulijicaTion, all conT ributing for people's livelihood in one way or anoTher. In the two major/ish landing siT es, Amora Cedel and Fiker Hayik, which are the f ocus of The present STudy, f ishing and relaTed ac fi vities constitute either major livelihood strategy or supplementary means oj income Jor 1000- 1500 people. Main actors in these activities include: indi vidual fish ers, fi'shers organized into cooperatives and suppliers of fish products for market at Lake j-Jawassa. In this regard, social network play a key role serving as a means of value/supply chain, employment and cluster-based fishing practices. Fishing activities at Lake Hawassa seem increasing fi'om time to time. For instance, while the maximum carrying capacity of the lake's fishing is said TO be 750neTs/day, currently there are 1200-1400 nets/day operating on the Lake. The number oj people involved in fishing af th e Twa mqjor landing sites also increased three times from around 300 in Th e past Ji ve years to around 900 Currently daily income offlshers ranges between 250 and 500 ETB, Ivhich correspond to the production oj 32 and 50 Kgs oJfish respecti vely. However, iT has been f()({nd out that in addition to technical and material capacity, volume oJfish produ ction, marketillg and its contribution to the livelihood or income, differ between Jasting and non-fa STing periods, weather conditions' Javorability or not for fish breeding, whether it is tourism peak seasoll or a lean season. Accordingly, production, marketing and income Fom Jishing increase ill the Jormer scenarios while decreasing in the latter ones. Fishers try to maxirnize their li velihood inTeresT or fish production and income from it by using oJficially prohibited type oj gill nets, reducing the mesh size and fishin g more than once per day. These informal ways of trying to increase fishin.g with the aim of improving the livelihood goal obviously put pressure on Th e fish resources at the Lake. In addition, competing claims between members oj diffe ren.t coopera Ti ves over access TO jlsh ing grounds by selling imaginary or informal boundaries are causin g (o r serving as jllstification) f or net thefts and leading to open conflict. Therefore, local communities ' increasing socioeconomic interests in fish resources, their struggle TO maintain access to the lake to susTain their livelihood on one hand, and inadequate management practices or rules by institutions in charge of natural resources management on the other, are exposin.g the lake's fish ery and other resources to pressure, thereby creating conditions that could serve as threat of sustainability to the lake resource an.d people's relation as well as livelihood in. the long run.enLake Hawassa, Livelihood, Fishery.Thesis