COMPARATIVE ECONOMIC ANALYSIS OF REGULATED AND UNREGULATED NATURAL LAKES FISHERIES IN PLATEAU STATE, NIGERIA
COMPARATIVE ECONOMIC ANALYSIS OF REGULATED AND UNREGULATED NATURAL LAKES FISHERIES IN PLATEAU STATE, NIGERIA
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Date
2012-10
Authors
DAWANG, Naanpoes Charles
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Abstract
This study examines the comparative economics of resource exploitation levels of government
regulated (RENLAF) and unregulated (URENLAF) fisheries through the assessment of socioeconomic
characteristics, determinants of participation in regulated fishing, determinants of site
choice among the unregulated fishers, estimate level of compliance, costs, returns, profitability,
technical efficiency and evaluate constraints of natural lakes artisanal fishers in Plateau state,
with a view to examine the economic efficiency of effort allocation and exploitation of fisheries
as renewable resource in the country. Daily fishing observations were made during catch
assessment survey (CAS) for 4 weeks and recorded in a logbook. Data were collected through
questionnaire from 20 fishers’ randomly selected each from Polmakat, Shimankar, Deben,
Janta lakes and 30 other fishers purposively selected from regulated Pandam Lake. This gives a
sample size of 110 respondents from a sample frame of 656. The analyses were carried out
using descriptive statistics, logistic regression, multinomial logit, ordered probit, corrected least
square and stochastic frontier production function models. The result indicated that both
RENLAF and URENLAF fishers had similar socio-economic characteristics. The logit result
suggested that heterogeneous fishing skills, catch-per-unit-of-effort and extension contact
significantly influence decision to participate in regulated fishing. Furthermore, the study
observed that age, family size, alternative source of income, extension contact and
heterogeneous fishing skills significantly determine lake choices, with socio-economic,
deterrence, social and legitimate variables were found to significantly influencing management
regulatory compliance. Both fisheries were found to be profitable with net farm income (NFI)
of N52, 194.46 per month and N38, 017.01 per month for RENLAF and URENLAF
respectively, while, RENLAF was more profitable than URENLAF by 37%. Furthermore, it
was found that RENLAF cost more than URENLAF by 46%. The mean technical efficiency of
URENLAF and RENLAF fishers were 0.83 and 91.29 respectively, suggesting that RENLAF
efficiency was higher than URENLAF by 8%. The URENLAF sites shows about 68% variation
in output were as result of the presence of technical inefficiency effect, with some observable
variables relating to socioeconomics characteristics such as extension contact, age and
educational status positively and significantly affects technical efficiency. The major
constraints to fishing at both fisheries were hippopotamus and high cost of fishing gears.
Transformation for effective and sustainable fisheries exploitation will need the involvement of
educated fishers, extension education, and setting more RENLAF sites through redefinition of
property rights as well as gears limit regulation at RENLAF.
Description
A DISSERTATION SUBMITTED TO THE SCHOOL OF POSTGRADUATE
STUDIES, AHMADU BELLO UNIVERSITY, ZARIA, IN PARTIAL
FULFILLMENT OF REQUIREMENTS FOR THE AWARD OF DEGREE OF
DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY IN AGRICULTURAL ECONOMICS.
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURAL ECONOMICS AND
RURAL SOCIOLOGY,
FACULTY OF AGRICULTURE,
AHMADU BELLO UNIVERSITY, ZARIA
Keywords
COMPARATIVE,, ECONOMIC,, ANALYSIS,, REGULATED,, UNREGULATED,, NATURAL,, LAKES,, FISHERIES,, PLATEAU STATE,, NIGERIA