Socio-economic analysis of artisanal fisher folks in arid zone of Nigeria: a case study of Katsina State

Abstract

As strange as it might seem, the arid zone of Nigeria, for all its water resource problems, contains some of the most productive inland fisheries in the whole of the country. Although there is no reliable estimate of annual production, it is widely recognized that the zone constitute an important fisheries area of Nigeria. This study was undertaken to establish the socio-economic characteristics of artisanal fisher folks in the arid zone of Nigeria to provide a much-needed base-line of information which could be used to set priorities for future planning and research. Katsina State was selected for the study and the bulk of the data were gathered between September, 2001 and June, 2002 through two phases of field work. The data shows that all the respondents were males, not surprising, because women involvement in agricultural production in the study area is insignificant. Fishing was the major occupation for 60 percent of them and the major source of income in each study site.Fish production was largely from streams, rivers, fadama, dams and ponds or pools. About 13 fish groups were mentioned as commonly found in the study sites. The study also reveals that major changes have occurred in the villages over the last 10 years as a results of fishing activities. This study has, therefore, established a base-line of information with a number of key policy issues emerging for future planning and research.


(Af. J. of Livestock Extension: 2003 2: 13-18)