| At about 170 miles from Addis Ababa a gravel road on the right
runs along
the shore of Lake Awasa to the private Norwegian Mission Resort where we stayed. On its eastern shore is the
town of Awassa, capital of the province of Sidamo. Lake Awassa has abundant aquatic vegetation. These shallows
are
feeding
grounds for many species of water birds that are extraordinarily abundant. The vegetation makes beach
seining impossible in most locations, and the fishery is mostly with gill nets and lines. In addition to Nile
tilapia, Clarias catfish and Barbus are also abundant. Awassa is a freshwater lake and the Shallo swamp drains
into
it through a small river called Tiqur Wuha, which means 'black
water'. Awassa is the smallest of the Rift Valley lakes, but is highly productive. It has a rich phytoplankton
(over 100 species have been identified) and zooplankton that support large populations of six fish species.
There are also hippos in Lake Awassa. We hired a boat on the lake and set out in search of the
hippos and came back with a rewarding expeirience.
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