Indigenous Fisheries Development And Management In Nigeria

Indigenous Fisheries Development And Management In Nigeria

Chapter One

Preface

Background To The Study

Coastal indigenous fishing communities have close profitable, social and artistic liaison with marine ecosystems that are vital for maintaining their food security and artistic heritage( Durand, 2003). Like other small- scale fisheries, they’re vulnerable to global changes, including those related to climate. Little is known, still, about the impacts and influence of climate change on indigenous fishing operation. This represents a significant global issue, as indigenous groups are frequently the most vulnerable littoral communities. This exploration aims to help fill this knowledge gap by furnishing a global overview of development and operation of indigenous fisheries in Nigeria. It has been estimated that utmost of the world’s major indigenous fisheries are now at their maximum position of exploitation( FAO, 1995). likewise, Welcomme and Bartley( 1997) have indicated that catches from indigenous fisheries are in decline due to the deteriorating quality of the submarine terrain and poor operation. FAO( 1995) has also linked, that in response to this extremity, there has been an increase in the position of fishery interventions, including colorful advancements, as defined by the following statement “ Any increase of the yields from indigenous fisheries will in future be deduced from fisheries improvement conditioning and the goods of direct mortal intervention in the product processes of submarine surroundings ”.

The indigenous systems of fisheries operation in Nigeria have began within the communities concerned, and conform with the description of “ indigenous ” handed by Berkes and Farvar( 1989), i.e. practices which have literal durability among a group of people. Under the indigenous system, the fisheries can also be codified as common property coffers in that use- rights for the resource are controlled by an identifiable group(e.g. original community who may count others) and aren’t managed by government of the ultramodern state. As explained in Neiland etal.( 1997), the objects of the indigenous fisheries systems in Nigeria aren’t easy to ascertain. still, three objects have been linked, including the control of fishing rights and reduction of conflict, generation of food/ income for the community, and conservation of fish stocks. The main system of operation is the control of access, and the decision- making authorities are the leaders of the community and traditional government, although all druggies can have an input into the process( “ bottom- up ” approach), under certain circumstances. The major indigenous system of fishery in Nigeria is the artisanal fishery. The Coastal artisanal fishery sector of Nigeria is scattered among multitudinous large and small fishing agreements along the 960 km. bank of Nigeria with its expansive littoral lagoons. maturity of these agreements are characterized by their closeness and are cut off from the main public thruway system which have to be approached by boats and by touring several kilometers from the nearest road- head( Cunningham et al, 2005).

The littoral artisanal fishers number roughly 250,000 and operate about 50,000 traditional rustic canoes of colorful sizes- a small chance of which roughly 4,000 are fitted with cut- board motors of different manufacturers. Fishing gear used from these canoes comprise substantially of set- gill nets, sand seines, long line, handbasket traps, cast nets etc. This indigenous fishery as being rehearsed now is labour ferocious and because of the limited capabilities of the craft and gear results in low productivity. Their operating range is generally around the 20m depth figure, with operations occasionally extending up to a maximum depth of 40 metres( Cunningham et al, 2005). Yet in view of the large number of craft and gear involved, this sector has recorded a product of nearly 270,000 tons of fish in 2005 which is nearly 50 of the total fish catch of Nigeria and which shows a probable 35 increase in the catch during the decade. About 95 of the catches of the littoral fishers are typically smoked and the limited amounts which are vended fresh are substantially consumed within a range of 25 Km, from the seacoast. These fishes are handled by traditional marketing channels that are dominated by fish mommies who are most frequently women or maters of fishers( Cunningham et al, 2005).

A recent office study of the Fishery sector in Nigeria prepared by the Investment Centre of the FAO/ World Bank Cooperative programme at the request of the World Bank has concluded that” the top developments which would lead to an expansion of levees would presumably be confined to furnishing further effective means of fishing, handling, recycling and distribution of catches and the provision of acceptable services in the indigenous small scale fishery sector. An enhancement in this sector would give the most immediate and productive returns as compared with the other sectors”.

Statement Of The Problem

The constraints to the development and operation of the indigenous fishery sector in Nigeria were well linked when the country’s National Development Plan was drawn up and they includes lack of ultramodern fishing inputs by way of bettered fishing craft, gear and styles, lack of access confluent roads or conduits from the nearest road- head, lack of proper service installations at the vill spots, loss of product due to lack of installations for proper running, processing, transport and marketing, deficit of trained force, and lack of effective fisher associations. Several sweats has been made by the government of Nigeria through National Development Plans to manage and develop the sector duly while laying emphasis on increased fish product with a view to attaining the thing of tone- adequacy in fish product and also aims at encouraging original manufacture of fish products, which are being imported now, furnishing employment to youthful academy leavers and adding the per capita income of the fisher to enable him ameliorate his life style.

Objects Of The Study

The following are the objects of this study

1. To examine the state of the indigenous fisheries sector in Nigeria.

2. To determine ways to develop the indigenous fisheries sector in Nigeria.

3. To identify ways to achieve proper operation of the indigenous fisheries sector in Nigeria.

Exploration Questions

1. What’s the state of the indigenous fisheries sector in Nigeria?

2. What are ways to develop the indigenous fisheries sector in Nigeria?

3. What are the ways to achieve proper operation of the indigenous fisheries sector in Nigeria?

Significance Of The Study

The following are the significance of this study

1. The outgrowth of this study will educate the stakeholders in husbandry sector and the general public on the state of the indigenous fisheries sector in Nigeria with emphasis on ways to develop it and insure the effective operation of the sector.

2. This exploration will be a donation to the body of literature in the area of the effect of personality particularity on pupil’s academic performance, thereby constituting the empirical literature for unborn exploration in the subject area

Compass/ Limitations Of The Study

This study will cover the present state of the indigenous fisheries sector in Nigeria and ways to develop and manage the sector effectively.

Limitation Of Study

Financial constraint-inadequate fund tends to stymie the effectiveness of the experimenter in sourcing for the applicable accoutrements , literature or information and in the process of data collection( internet, questionnaire and interview).

Time constraint- The experimenter will contemporaneously engage in this study with other academic work. This accordingly will cut down on the time devoted for the exploration work.

References

Berkes,F. andM.T. Farvar. 1989. preface and overview. In Common Property coffers Ecology and Community- Grounded Sustainable Development( Berkes,F., ed.) 1 – 18. Belhaven Press, London. 302p.

Cunningham,S.,M. Dunn andD. Whitmarsh. 2005. Fisheries Economics An preface. Mansell. 372p.

Durand, J-.R. 2003. The exploitation of fish stocks in the Lake Chad region. In Lake Chad Ecology and Productivity of a Shallow Tropical Ecosystem( Carmouze,J.P.,J.R. Durand andC. Leveque, eds) 425 – 482.

Monographiae Biologicae 53. The Hague,Dr.W. Junk. FAO. 1995. Review of the State of World Fishery coffers Inland Capture Fisheries. FAO Fisheries CircularNo. 885. FAO, Rome. 63p.

Neiland,A.E.,J. Weeks,S.P. Madakan,S.P. andB.M.B. Ladu. 1997. Fisheries operation in the Upper River Benue, Lake Chad and the Nguru- Gashua washes(N.E. Nigeria) A study of 53 townlets. In The Traditional Management of Artisanal Fisheries inN.E. Nigeria Final Report. ODA ProjectNo. 5471. CEMARE( University of Portsmouth, UK) Report. PaperNo. 12.

Welcomme,R.L. andD.M. Bartley. 1997. An evaluation of the present ways for the improvement of fisheries.( This publication).