Socio-economic characteristics of artisanal fisher folks in Igbokoda Ondo State

Abstract

The fishery sector in Nigeria plays a major role in terms of national food security and employment. This study examined the socio-economic characteristics of the artisanal fisher’s folks in the study area, the dominant fish in the landing site, the type of fishing gear used at the location, their contribution to fish landing, the effect of by-catch on artisanal fish production and food security in Igbokoda, Ilaje Local Government Area of Ondo State. Data was collect by the random distribution of a questionnaire using statistical analysis such as; pie chart, bar graph and regression analysis to collate and show the data obtained from the study area. The output of an artisanal fisher was affected by gender and the season of fishing and not the educational status of the fisher men, 64% of the fishers were male and the highest age bracket was between 31-40 years. Only 10% of the respondents have tertiary education and 64% of the fishers have between primary and secondary education. The level of profitability was average (64%), 98% of by-catch were demanded for. This study hereby proves that fishing is profitable and therefore, suggests that policy variables such as extension, education, and credit identified in the study as important determinants of efficiency of artisanal fishers should be strengthen for sustainable fish production in the State and Nigeria at large.