Mulugeta Wakjira

Name: Mulugeta Wakjira (PhD)

Nationality: Ethiopian

Academic rank: Associate Professor

College: College of Natural Sciences

Department: Biology

Specialization: Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences

Research interests:

• Aquaculture/Aquaponics
• Fisheries Management
• Fisheries Socioeconomics
• Fish Biodiversity and Ecology
• Aquatic Sciences/Limnology
• Wetland Conservation  

ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3675-9708

SHORT BIODATA

Dr. Mulugeta Wakjira is an Associate Professor of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences at the Department of Biology, Jimma University, with rich experience in both teaching and research. He has advised and been advising a number of  MSc students in the areas of Aquatic Sciences (Limnology), Fisheries, Aquaculture, Fish Ecology and Systematics, and he is currently hosting a program in Aquaculture and Fisheries Management in which he is advising both MSc and PhD students. He has been engaged in teaching various courses at postgraduate and undergraduate levels. Furthermore, Mulugeta is an active member of national and international professional societies such as the Biological Society of Ethiopia (BSE), the Ethiopian Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences Association (EFASA), and the Pan African Fish and Fisheries Association (PAFFA). Currently, he is a member of a Lake Turkana Advisory Group (LTuAG), a regional collaboration between the Ethiopian and Kenyan fisheries and aquatic scientists to study limnology, and socioeconomics and management of lower Omo River and Lake Turkana fisheries. The advisor group provides scientific data and advice to the decision-makers for better management of the two water bodies and their resources for sustainable livelihood (https://www.agl-acare.org/lake-turkana).

He holds PhD from Addis Ababa University (AAU) in 2016 in Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences and earned MSc in 2006 from National University of Ireland, Cork (UCC) in Fisheries Management, Development and Conservation. He has also been to the Royal Museum for Central Africa (RMCA), Tervuren, Belgium, for training and research follow up on FishBase and Fish Taxonomy in 2013 and 2015. He has also visited the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, for three months as a research Scholar in 2014. His research interests include freshwater aquaculture, fisheries management, fisheries socioeconomics, limnology, freshwater fish ecology and taxonomy, and wetlands conservation. He has also served in various administrative positions including as Head of the Department and as a Biology Course Leader for the African Virtual University (AVU) based at Jimma University. Currently, he is serving as a Coordinator for Research and Postgraduate Programs at College of Natural Sciences, Jimma University. He is an associate editor-in-chief of the Ethiopian Journal of Education and Sciences published by the College of Natural Sciences, Jimma University.

Publications

Tokuma Negisho Bayissa, Michelle Geerardyn, Donna Vanhauteghem, Mulugeta Wakjira & Geert Paul Jules Janssens (2021). Nutrient‑related metabolite profiles explain differences in body

composition  and size in Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) from different lakes. Scientific Reports, 11:16824.     https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-96326-3

Tokuma Negisho Bayissa, Michelle Geerardyn, Sagni Gobena, Donna Vanhauteghem, Gijs Du Laing, Mulugeta Wakijra Kabeta and Geert Paul Jules Janssens (2021). Impact of species and

their edible parts on the macronutrient and mineral composition of fish from the same aquatic environment, the Gilgel Gibe Reservoir, Ethiopia. Anim Physiol Anim Nutr. 2021, 00:1–9.

https://doi.org/10.1111/jpn.13553

Tokuma Negisho Bayissa, Sangi Gobena, Donna Vanhauteghem, Gijs Du Laing, Mulugeta Wakjira Kabeta and Geert Paul Jules Janssens (2021). The Impact of Lake Ecosystems on Mineral

Concentrations in Tissues of Nile Tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus L.). Animals, 11(4), 1000; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani11041000.

Tokuma Negisho, Gemechis Gemeda, Gijs Du Laing, Mulugeta Wakjira and Geert Paul Jules Janssens (2020). Diversity in Micromineral Distribution within the Body of Ornamental Fish

Species. Biological Trace Element Research, 197: 279-284. DOI 10.1007/s12011-019-01983-1.

Abebe Getahun, Mulugeta Wakjira and Wanja Dorothy Nyingi (2020). Social, economic and management status of small-scale fisheries in Omo River Delta and Ethiopian side of Lake Turkana,

southern Ethiopia. Ecohydrology and Hydrobiology, 20: 323-332. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecohyd.2020.05.008.

Gatriay Tut, Mulugeta Wakjira, Girum Tamire (2019). Diversity, Length-Weight Relationship andCondition Factor of Fishes in Gilo River and its Nearby Wetlands in Akobo District, Gambella

Region, Ethiopia. J FisheriesSciences.com, 13: 19-28.

Firew Admasu Hailu, Mulugeta Wakjira and Abebe Getahun (2018). Fishpond Wastewater versus Chemical Fertilizer on Tomato Productivity in Jimma, Oromia Region, Ethiopia. World

              Journal of Environmental Biosciences, 7 (4): 82-89.

Mulugeta Wakjira and Abebe Getahun (2017). Ichthyofaunal diversity of the Omo-Turkana basin, East Africa, with specific reference to fish diversity within the limits of Ethiopian waters.

             Check List, 13 (2): 1-22.

Adugna Gindaba, Abebe Getahun and Mulugeta Wakjira (2017). Growth Performance and Yield of Nile Tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus (Linnaeus, 1758)) under Different Stocking Densities and

Fertilization Scenarios in Earthen Pond Culture. International Journal of Sciences: Basic and Applied Research, 32 (2): 80-94.

Gadisa Natea, Mulugeta Wakjira, Tokuma Negisho and Megerssa Endebu (2017). Spawning response of African catfish (Clarias gariepinus (Burchell 1822), Claridae: Teleost) exposed to

different piscine pituitary and synthetic hormone. International Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Studies, 5(2): 264-269.

Firew Admasu, Abebe Getahun, Mulugeta Wakjira (2017). Supplemental feed formulation for the best growth performance of Nile tilapia, Oreochromis niloticus (Linnaeus, 1758) (Pisces:

           Cichlidae) in the pond culture system. Journal of Chemical, Biological and Physical Sciences, 7(2): 599-611.

Simagegnew Melaku, Abebe Getahun and Mulugeta Wakjira (2017). Population aspects of fishes in Geba and Sor Rivers, White Nile System in Ethiopia, East Africa. International Journal of

          Biodiversity, Volume 2017, Article ID 1252604, 7 pages. https://doi.org/10.1155/2017/1252604.

Esayas Embaye, Mulugeta Wakjira and Seid Tiku (2017). Diversity and Abundance of Crustacean Zooplankton Community in Gilgel Gibe Reservoir, Southwestern Ethiopian Highland. Journal

         of Applied Life Sciences International, 11(2): 1-12.

Wakjira, M., Tolemariam, T., Kim, J. D. and Kim, K. R.  (2013). Aquaculture Development in Ethiopia: Review on Potential and Strategy. Journal of Agricultural, Life and Environmental

Sciences, 25 (3): 20-25.

Mulugeta Wakjira (2013). Feeding Habits and Some Biological Aspects of Fish Species in Gilgel Gibe Reservoir, Omo-Turkana Basin, Ethiopia. International Journal of Current Research, 5

(12):.4124-4132.

PROCEEDINGS

Mulugeta Wakjira and Seyoum Mengistou (2015). Reservoirs peculiarities and similarities with the natural lakes: A review, pp. 191–214. In: EFASA 2015, Proceedings of the VIIth

Annual Conference and Workshop of EFASA, 7–8 Feb 2015, Arba Minch, Ethiopia.

THESES

Mulugeta Wakjira (2016). Fish diversity, Community structure, Feeding ecology, and

Fisheries of lower Omo River and the Ethiopian part of Lake Turkana, East Africa. PhD

thesis,  Addis Ababa University, Ethiopia, 216pp.

Mulugeta Wakjira (2005). Factors Influencing the Dynamics of Crustacean Zooplankton in a

Small Eutrophic Reservoir, M.Sc. Thesis, University College Cork, National University of

Ireland, Ireland, 110pp.

Teaching Materials

Mulugeta Wakjira (2011). Fisheries and Aquaculture, CDE, Jimma University, a Teaching Material for Undergraduate Biology students, 155pp.

Mulugeta Wakjira and Abebe Asale (2011). Human Physiology, CDE, Jimma University, a Teaching Material for Undergraduate Sport Science students, 155pp.

Mulugeta Wakjira (2010). Aquatic Sciences and Wetland Management, CDE, Jimma University, a Teaching Material for Undergraduate Biology students, 115pp.