World Aquaculture 61 Fisheries and sustainable livelihoods of fishing communities in Nigeria Ahmed Gomna Kuta1 Fisheries include all the methods and processes involved in getting fish from the water to consumers, the different types of craft used, the various types of gear and fishing methods, the various processing methods and facilities, and the distribution and marketing of the various products (Moses 1983). Fisheries in Nigeria are in three broad categories: artisanal, industrial and aquaculture. An artisanal fishery is the type of fishing carried out at the village level using mostly locally made dugout wooden canoes that may or may not be motorized. The fishing gears in use are simple, such as traps, hooks and nets. This sector accounts for over 80 percent of fish production in Nigeria (Anetekhai 2002). Industrial fisheries involve the use of large fishing boats carrying inboard engines and mechanically operated gear, such as purse seines. The fishery is generally capital intensive, the funds being made available as loans by commercial banks and other financial houses. Unlike artisanal and industrial fisheries that depend on the natural productivity, aquaculture is akin to animal husbandry and crop production. Aquaculture in Nigeria is predominantly an extensive land based (earthen pond) system practiced at the subsistence level. The activity dates back to 1966 when there were about 20 fish ponds in the former Eastern Region (Omotoso and Fagbenro 2005). This paper examines the role of fisheries in the sustainable livelihood of fishing communities in Nigeria. Fishing communities are frequently identified as being among the poorest of the poor (Jazairy et al. 1992) and are often characterized by overcrowded living conditions and inadequate services, low levels of education and a lack of skills and assets, particularly land, which would permit diversification of their livelihoods (Townsley 1998). Sustainable Livelihoods A livelihood comprises the capabilities, assets (including both material and social resources) and activities required to provide a means of living. A livelihood is sustainable when it can cope with and recover from stresses and shocks and maintain or enhance its capabilities and assets both now and in the future, while not undermining the natural resource base (Carney 1998). Scoones (1998) noted that five key indicators are important for assessing the achievement of sustainable livelihoods: 1) poverty reduction, 2) wellbeing and capabilities, 3) livelihood adaptation, 4) vulnerability and resilience and, 5) natural resource base sustainability. A framework for sustainable livelihoods is presented in Figure 1. The framework uses the concept of capital or livelihood assets as a central feature and considers how they are affected by the ‘vulnerability context,’ and by ‘transforming structures and processes,’ to constitute ‘livelihoods strategies,’ which lead to various ‘livelihoods outcomes.’ The framework shows how, in differing contexts, sustainable livelihoods are achieved through access to a range of livelihood assets, which are combined in the pursuit of different livelihood strategies. Fisheries and Sustainable Livelihoods Livelihood assets At its heart lies an analysis of the five different types of assets upon which fishing communities in Nigeria draw to build their livelihoods. These are: Natural capital: Natural resources used in the production of fish are water bodies such as lagoons, rivers and lakes. Branches of trees and elephant grass are used by some fishermen to construct fish aggregating devices in those water bodies. The water bodies are open access but fishing rights are controlled by traditional authorities and individuals owning oxbow lakes in Niger state (Gomna 2005). Diversity of fish species exist in these water bodies upon which fishing communities depend for their protein Fig. 1. Sustainable livelihoods framework (Ashley and Carney 1999).
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