An investigation of the organization of canoe fisheries in Nigeria: A case study of Ilaje/Esedo local government area of Ondo State

The effects of some socio-economic variables on the performance of artisanal fishermen were investigated. The variables include the age-structure of the fishermen, level of investment, educational background, membership of co-operative societies and marketing arrangements. All these variables were found to be crucial to productivity in the artisanal fishing sector

Involvement of fishermen children in fishing activities in Lake Chad region

Five fishing villages in Lake Chad Basin region of Borno State (Nigeria) were assessed for the roles of children in fishing activities in the area. The villages surveyed include: Bundaram, Yobe, Daba masara, Dumba and Doro. The results show that the children were largely between 12-18 years of age in the villages. Generally, the younger children (less than 12 years) participate in activities that require no technicality and little physical strength, while the older children (12 years and above) engage in skillful fabrication of gear and fishing activities. Some activities in the surveyed villages were gender specific. Such activities include fish processing (smoking) which is exclusive for female and few male children, who carry out preliminary cleaning of fish before any processing method is applied. 80% of the children in the five fishing villages claimed proper understanding of the techniques and procedure involved in most fishing activities. About 65% of the children sampled showed willingness to become full time fishermen while 22% were uncertain and claimed that they do not know what the future holds for them. 15% of them resolved to migrate to town so that they could live a city life

Preliminary report of fishing at the Alawariwa beels, Ogun State, Nigeria

The Alawariwa beels located in the flood plains of the Ogun River, off Ibafo in Owode/Obafemi Local Government Area of Ogun State number 16 with an approximate total surface area of 28.0 hectares. The beels are conveniently exploited between January and April annually when the dry season and riverine contraction make this possible. The daily landing showed that the fish enclosure is truly a natural fisheries reserve as well as a medium of biodiversity. Fish catch per unit effort is reasonable especially for the more abundant fish species. The beel is sufficiently productive and worthy of the fishing efforts of the fishing efforts of eight fishers undertaking the daily assignment. Beel fishing is therefore economically advisable for fishers having access to such valuable communal or individual natural wetland resources

Identification of non fishing income opportunities around Kainji Lake

The findings are presented of a study carried out in the Kainji Lake region of Nigeria in order to identify alternative income opportunities for the fisherfolk, so as to increase their acceptance of fishery management measures and also to reduce the harmful short-term economic effects that such management options can have. A description is given of the main non-fishing income earning activities in the Kainji Lake area and an assessment is made of the economic viability and expected acceptance of the identified income earning opportunities. (PDF contains 84 pages)

Alternative income in Kainji Lake area: introduction of improved cocks to fisherfolk

Details are given of a study conducted in the framework of the Kainji Lake Fisheries Promotion Project to boost income from alternative sources. The project identified 'improved poultry keeping' as suitable for introduction around the Kainji Lake area. In the long term, the programme will assist increasing especially the income of female members of fishing families, since poultry is kept in the villages mainly by women. (PDF contains 35 pages)

Occupational practices and problems of rural artisanal fisherfolks in Oyan Dam area of Ogun State

Artisanal Fish Societies constitutes one of the poorest societies in the developing world. Attempts to harness the potentials of the societies have often failed due to the enormity of the problem of poverty. This study was conducted in four major fishing villages namely; Abule titun, Apojola, Imama Odo and Ibaro in order to investigate the occupational practices and the problems of rural artisanal fisherfolks in Oyam's Dam, area of Ogun State. Eighty respondents were randomly selected among the artisanal fisher folks for interview using interview guide. The findings revealed that 43.8% of the fisherfolks are within active range of 31-40 years while 30% are within 21-30 years range. Also 31% had no formal education indicating a relatively high level of illiteracy among the fisherfolks while majority of the respondents practice fishing activities using paddle and canoe. It was similarly discovered from the study that the most pressing problems of the fisherfolks is the lack of basic social amenities like electricity, potable water, access roads, hospitals and markets. It is therefore recommended that basic social infrastructures be provided for the artisanal fishing communities in order to improve their social welfare, standard of living and the capacity to have a sustainable fishing occupation in the interest of food security and poverty alleviation

Investment opportunity in improved fish smoker (IFS) as food security for artisanal women fish processors (AWOFPS) in Nigeria: a case study of Kainji Lake area

The Improved Fish Smoker (IFS) was designed and constructed by NIFFR in collaboration with GTZ in 1997. After the on-station trials, five fishing villages with pronounced fishing activities were selected for the demonstration. The IFS and the traditional Smoking Kiln were compared in one of the fishing villages using Gross Margin analysis (GM) and productivity index to determine the profitability and productivity of the two kilns. It was found that the average income of IFS users at fully capacity was N5, 555.50 per day in a year N1.3 million would be realized. Conversely, the average income of the users of Traditional Smoking Kiln (TSK) was N649.00 per day and about N152, 150.50 would be realized in a year. From this estimate, it is evident that the IFS are more profitable than the TSK. Productivity index of the two kilns also revealed that the productivity of IFS is higher than the TSK. Thus, using the IFS would enhance the income of artisanal women Fish Processors (AWOFPS) and ensure food security for the household

Evaluation of a new fishing pot trap (Lege) in River Rima, north western Nigeria

Based on the findings and diagnostic survey, a new fishing trap, christened Lege trap was designed and fabricated, and the performance evaluated. The 8-valve Lege trap was assessed concurrently with Malian and Ndurutu traps by the fishermen in the study area. The experiment was conducted in a randomized complete block design with one factor each replicated three times. Data collected on fish diversity number, biomass and size were subjected to descriptive statistics and analysis of variance. The results showed that 22 fish species belonging to thirteen families were caught. The prototype (Lege) trap recorded higher species diversity index (0.90) than the Malian (0.50) and Ndurutu (0.50) traps. The Lege trap also accounted for the largest number (55%) and biomass (63%) of fish caught which was significantly (P<0.05) higher than those of the Malian and Nduutu traps were. The mean length (15.03~c5.70cm), weight (60.43~c48.61g) and girth (4.77~c1.65cm) of fishes caught in the Lege trap were also significantly (P0.05) higher than those caught in the other two traps. These results demonstrated better performance of the new trap than the two conventional traps, even though the sizes of some of the fish species caught in all the traps were below those allowed by the Sokoto State Fisheries Edict where the study was conducted. Therefore, since it is desirable to develop conservation-oriented trap at a least cost, it is necessary to research further on the number of valves and mesh size of the new trap

Pathway to poverty alleviation at the fishing communities of Lake Chad basin

Poverty has been variously measured in terms of income, consumption, and access to social and physical infrastructures. It is a multi-component phenomenon that cannot be measured by one single variable. This indicates that poverty alleviation or eradication requires a holistic approach. Because the existing strategies at ensuring poverty alleviation have not made impact at the Lake Chad Basin. Therefore, this study identifies the strategies that are adaptable to the area. Data were obtained on Literacy, income, quality housing, mobility, and access to infrastructure, cultural and socio-economic. The paper develops a pragmatic strategy through which the fishing communities can experience true empowerment and improved standard of living

Occupational practice and problems of artisanal fisherfolk in Oyan dam area of Ogun State

Artisanal Fish Societies constitutes one of the poorest societies in the developing world. Attempts to harness the potentials of such societies have often failed due to the enormity of the problem of poverty. This study was conducted in four major fishing villages namely: Abule Titun, Apojola, Imala Odo and Ibaro in order to investigate the occupational practices and the problems of rural artisanal fisherfolks in Oyam's Dam, area of Ogun State. Eighty respondents were randomly selected among the artisanal fisher folks for interview using interview guide. The findings revealed that 43.8% of the fisherfolks are within active age range of 31-40 years while 30% are within 21-30 years range. Also 31% had no formal education indicating a relatively high level of illiteracy among the fisherfolks while majority of the respondents practice fishing activities using paddle and canoe. It was similarly discovered from the study that the most pressing problems of the fishfolks is the lack of basic social amenities like electricity, potable water, access roads, hospital and markets. It is therefore recommended that basic social infrastructures be provided for the artisanal fishing communities in order to improve their social welfare, standard of living and the capacity to have a sustainable fishing occupation in the interest of food security and poverty alleviation

Exploratory fishing for tunas and tuna tagging in the Marquesas, Tuamotu, Society, Pitcairn, and Gambier Islands

The Marquesas Islands are located in the Pacific Ocean at about 9 degrees south latitude and 140 degrees west longitude (Figure 1). It has been demonstrated by tagging (Anonymous, 1980b) that skipjack tuna, Katsuwonus pelamis, which occur in the northeastern Pacific Ocean have migrated to the Hawaiian Islands and Christmas Island in the central Pacific and also to the area between the Marshall and Mariana islands in the western Pacific. The Tuamotu, Society, Pitcairn, and Gambier islands, though the first two are not as close to the principal fishing areas of the eastern Pacific Ocean as are the Marquesas Islands, and the last two are small and isolated, are of interest for the same reasons that the Marquesas Islands are of interest, and thus skipjack should be tagged in those islands for the same reason that they should be tagged in the Marquesas Islands. The organizations which participated in the Marquesas Islands tagging and other scientific activities were the Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission (IATTC), the South Pacific Commission (SPC), the Centre National pour l'Exploitation des Oceans (CNEXO), the Office de la Recherche Scientifique et Technique Outre-Mer (ORSTOM), the Service de la Peche de la Polynesie Francaise (SPPF), and the Service de l'Economie Rural (SER).

Electric fishing survey of the gravel addition sites on the River Wyre, Grizedale Beck and Joshua's Beck.

Although geographically the River Wyre lies between two rivers containing major migrations of adult salmon and sea trout, its rod & line fisheries have for a number of years produced exceptionally low catches. In order to determine the causes of this the Wyre Salmon and Sea trout Restoration Group (WSSRG) was conceived in 1994 as a partnership between the then National Rivers Authority (now Environment Agency), local landowners, angling clubs and interested parties. Two studies of 1994 and 1995 stated that there is a shortage of useable spawning gravels on the river. This is compounded by Abbeystead Reservoir acting as a gravel trap, the siltation of gravels on several side becks and problems with access to available gravels by returning adults. There was also perceived to be a need for accurate fishery data from the river encompassing redd counts, catch data and surveys of fry populations. The 1995 report suggested a number of management proposals which might be adopted in order to improve and create available spawning habitat for migratory salmonids. Funding was made available to create three spawning gravels on each of two side becks (Grizedale Beck and Joshua's Beck) and the addition of gravels to a site oh the main river below Abbeystead Reservoir. Modifications were also made to the fish pass at Abbeystead to allow easier passage of fish. These improvements were made in the autumn of 1995. Salmonid spawning redd counting was undertaken on the whole Wyre catchment in 1995/1996 and specific surveys by electric fishing on the gravel enhancement sites in the summer of 1996. This report details the current state of the improvement works that were undertaken and presents the results of electric fishing surveys in September 1996. A number of lessons have been learnt which will be of great benefit to the Fisheries Function in other parts of the Wyre catchment and the Central Area in general.

Effects of a large fishing closure on benthic communities in the western Gulf of Maine: recovery from the effects of gillnets and otter trawls

The recovery of benthic communities inside the western Gulf of Maine fishing closure area was evaluated by comparing invertebrate assemblages at sites inside and outside of the closure four to six years after the closure was established. The major restriction imposed by the closure was a year-round prohibition of bottom gillnets and otter trawls. A total of 163 seafloor sites (~half inside and half outside the closure) within a 515-km2 study area were sampled with some combination of Shipek grab, Wildco box corer, or underwater video. Bottom types ranged from mud (silt and clay) to boulders, and the effects of the closure on univariate measures (total density, biomass, taxonomic richness) of benthos varied widely among sediment types. For sites with predominantly mud sediments, there were mixed effects on inside and outside infauna and no effect on epifauna. For sites with mainly sand sediments, there were higher density, biomass, and taxonomic richness for infauna inside the closure, but no significant effects on epifauna. For sites dominated by gravel (which included boulders in some areas), there were no effects on infauna but strong effects on epifaunal density and taxonomic richness. For fishing gear, the data indicated that infauna recovered in sand from the impacts of otter trawls operated inside the closure but that they did not recover in mud, and that epifauna recovered on gravel bottoms from the impact of gillnets used inside the closure. The magnitudes of impact and recovery, however, cannot be inferred directly from our data because of a confounding factor of different fishing intensities outside the closure for a direct comparison of preclosure and postclosure data. The overall negative impact of trawls is likely underestimated by our data, whereas the negative impact of gillnets is likely overestimated.

Effects of commercial fishing on local abundance of Pacific cod (Gadus macrocephalus) in the Bering Sea

Groundfish fisheries in the southeast Bering Sea in Alaska have been constrained in recent years by management measures to protect the endangered Steller sea lion (Eumetopias jubatus). There is concern that the present commercial harvest may produce a localized depletion of groundfish that would affect the foraging success of Steller sea lions or other predators. A three-year field experiment was conducted to determine whether an intensive trawl fishery in the southeast Bering Sea created a localized depletion in the abundance of Pacific cod (Gadus macrocephalus). This experiment produced strongly negative results; no difference was found in the rate of seasonal change in Pacific cod abundance between stations within a regulatory no-trawl zone and stations in an immediately adjacent trawled area. Corollary studies showed that Pacific cod in the study area were highly mobile and indicated that the geographic scale of Pacific cod movement was larger than the spatial scale used as the basis for current no-trawl zones. The idea of localized depletion is strongly dependent on assumed spatial and temporal scales and contains an implicit assumption that there is a closed local population. The scale of movement of target organisms is critical in determining regional effects of fishery removals.

The potential use of time-area closures to reduce catches of bigeye tuna (Thunnus obesus) in the purse-seine fishery of the eastern Pacific Ocean

Skipjack (Katsuwonus pelamis), yellowfin (Thunnus albacares), and bigeye (Thunnus obesus) tunas are caught by purse-seine vessels in the eastern Pacific Ocean (EPO). Although there is no evidence to indicate that current levels of fishing-induced mortality will affect the sustainability of skipjack or yellowfin tunas, fishing mortality on juvenile (younger than 5 years of age) bigeye tuna has increased, and overall fishing mortality is greater than that necessary to produce the maximum sustainable yield of this species. We investigated whether time-area closures have the potential to reduce purse-seine bigeye catches without significantly reducing skipjack catches. Using catch and effort data for 1995–2002, we identified regions where the ratio of bigeye to skipjack tuna catches was high and applied simple closed-area models to investigate the possible benefits of time-area closures. We estimated that the most optimistic and operationally feasible 3-month closures, covering the equatorial region of the EPO during the third quarter of the year, could reduce bigeye catches by 11.5%, while reducing skipjack tuna catches by 4.3%. Because this level of bigeye tuna catch reduction is insufficient to address sustainability concerns, and larger and longer closures would reduce catches of this species signficantly, we recommend that future research be directed toward gear technology solutions because these have been successful in many other fisheries. In particular, because over 50% of purse-seine catches of bigeye tuna are taken in sets in which bigeye tuna are the dominant species, methods to allow the determination of the species composition of aggregations around floating objects may be important.