Assessment of Fishing Gear Acceptability, Capture Efficiency, and Species Diversity Among Artisanal Fishers in River Benue, Taraba State, NigeriaA STATE, NIGERIA
Article Sidebar
Main Article Content
Abstract
This study assessed the relationships between fishing gear acceptability, capture efficiency, and fish species diversity among artisanal fishers in River Benue, Taraba State, Nigeria. Data were collected over twelve months (January–December 2024) from 150 fishers across five landing sites using structured questionnaires, experimental gear trials, and fish sampling. Seven gear types were identified. Gillnets (mean acceptability: 4.4 ± 0.5 on a 5-point scale; CPUE: 7.1 ± 1.4 kg/100m net/12h) and cast nets (4.1 ± 0.7; CPUE: 5.3 ± 1.1 kg/set) were both the most acceptable and most efficient gears. Drag nets recorded the lowest acceptability (1.9 ± 0.8) and the lowest CPUE (2.4 ± 0.7 kg/haul), suggesting a convergence of social and ecological undesirability. A total of 27 fish species from 16 families were recorded. Shannon-Wiener diversity ranged from 2.28 to 3.41 and was significantly higher in the wet season (p < 0.05). Dissolved oxygen (r = 0.76, p < 0.01), turbidity (r = −0.63, p < 0.05), and water level (r = 0.71, p < 0.01) were the strongest environmental predictors of diversity. These findings support the enforcement of ≥ 3-inch mesh regulations, seasonal closures during the peak wet spawning months (June–August), and community-led co-management of high-efficiency but destructive gears.
Downloads
Article Details
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
References
Abdulraheem, Z. T. (2021). Assessment of Artisanal Fishery Activities among Fisherfolk in Lagos State, Nigeria (Master's thesis, Kwara State University (Nigeria)
Adam, R. I., Njogu, L. G., Ouko, K. O., Rajaratnam, S., Adeleke, L., Ogunya, L., ... & Fregene, B. (2025). Unveiling gender dynamics and disparities in the aquaculture value chain: evidence from Ogun and Delta States, Nigeria. Aquaculture International, 33(5), 343.
Akintola, S.L. and Fakoya, K.A. (2011). Small-scale artisanal fisheries management and the challenges of sustainable fisheries development in Lagos Lagoon, Nigeria. African Journal of Agricultural Research, 6(4): 1082–1094.
Aminu, F. O., Ojo, O. O., & Adekunle, M. F. (2017). Socio-economic analysis of artisanal fish production in Lower Ogun River basin areas of Lagos State, Nigeria. Ghana J. Agri. Sci, 51, 63-72.
Amos, S. O., & Peter, K. B. (2018). Sustainable artisanal fisheries practices in Nigeria. Oceanography & Fisheries Open Access Journal, 6(1), 8-19.
Anyanwu, D. C., Mkpadpo, M., & Ohaka, C. C. (2009). Economic analysis of artisanal fishing at River Niger Onitsha, Anambra state, Nigeria. Agro-Science, 8(3).
Atkinson, T. L. (2019). Living in a haze: direct and indirect impacts of turbidity and diet on an African cichlid fish (Master's thesis, The Ohio State University).
Awolumate, S., & Fregene, B. T. (2025). Efficiency Status in Artisanal Fishing Amidst Overfishing, Pollution, and Infrastructure Development on Inland Water Fisheries in Nigeria. Applied Sciences, Computing, and Energy, 2(1), 105-115.
Bayley, P. B. (1991). The flood pulse advantage and the restoration of river‐floodplain systems. Regulated Rivers: Research & Management, 6(2), 75-86.
Bonjoru, R., Ndeham, V. R., Bonjoru, F. H., & Amadu, S. O. (2019). Characterization and constraints of artisanal fishery in the upper Benue River Basin, Nigeria. International Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Studies, 7(3), 210-223.
Boucek, R. E., & Rehage, J. S. (2015). A tale of two fishes: using recreational angler records to examine the link between fish catches and floodplain connections in a subtropical coastal river. Estuaries and Coasts, 38(Suppl 1), 124-135.
Cambray, J. A. (2003). Impact on indigenous species biodiversity caused by the globalisation of alien recreational freshwater fisheries. Hydrobiologia, 500(1), 217-230.
Clements, W. H., & Newman, M. C. (2003). Community ecotoxicology. John Wiley & Sons.
Dammannagoda, S. T. (2018). Sustainable fishing methods in Asia pacific region. In Sustainable Aquaculture (pp. 95-122). Cham: Springer International Publishing.
Delaney, A., Reid, D. G., Zimmermann, C., Kraan, M., Steins, N. A., & Kaiser, M. J. (2023). Socio-technical approaches are needed for innovation in fisheries. Reviews in Fisheries Science & Aquaculture, 31(2), 161-179.
FAO (2020). The State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture 2020. Sustainability in Action. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Rome. 244 pp.
Federal Department of Fisheries (2007). Fisheries Statistics of Nigeria. Fourth Edition. Federal Department of Fisheries, Abuja.
Fitzgibbon, S. (2020). The interaction between water turbidity and visual sensory systems and its impact on freshwater fishes (Doctoral dissertation, Memorial University of Newfoundland).
Fortin-Hamel, L. (2023). Behavioural and physiological impacts of multiple stressors on two freshwater fishes (Miniellus anogenus and Enteromius neumayeri). McGill University (Canada).
Ge, J., Chen, J., Zi, F., Song, T., Hu, L., He, Z., ... & Li, H. (2025). Seasonal variations in macrobenthos communities and their relationship with environmental factors in the alpine Yuqu River. Biology, 14(2), 120.
George, A. D. I., Akinrotimi, O. A., & Nwokoma, U. K. (2021). Socio-Economic Analysis of Artisanal Fisheries in Three Local Government Areas of River State, Nigeria. Journal of Research in Agriculture and Animal Science, 8(2), 16-23.
Giurgiu, I. C. (2020). Flood pulse design principles—a time-based approach to urban flooding. In SeaCities: Urban Tactics for Sea-Level Rise (pp. 217-251). Singapore: Springer Singapore.
Graham, N., Ferro, R. S., Karp, W. A., & MacMullen, P. (2007). Fishing practice, gear design, and the ecosystem approach—three case studies demonstrating the effect of management strategy on gear selectivity and discards. ICES Journal of Marine Science, 64(4), 744-750.
Hammer, O., Harper, D.A.T. and Ryan, P.D. (2001). PAST: Paleontological Statistics software package for education and data analysis. Palaeontologia Electronica, 4(1): 9 pp.
Hara, M., Muchapondwa, E., Sara, J., Weyl, O., & Tapela, B. (2021). Inland fisheries contributions to rural livelihoods: an assessment of fisheries potential, market value chains and governance arrangements. Water Research Commission: Pretoria, South Africa.
Iyiola, A. O., & Valbo-Jørgensen, J. (2023). Intrinsic values of the African environment: A sustainable perspective. In Sustainable utilization and conservation of Africa’s biological resources and environment (pp. 635-664). Singapore: Springer Nature Singapore.
Javaid, A., Janssen, M. A., Reuter, H., & Schlüter, A. (2017). When patience leads to destruction: the curious case of individual time preferences and the adoption of destructive fishing gears. Ecological Economics, 142, 91-103.
Jennings, S., & Revill, A. S. (2007). The role of gear technologists in supporting an ecosystem approach to fisheries. ICES Journal of Marine Science, 64(8), 1525-1534.
Junk, W.J., Bayley, P.B. and Sparks, R.E. (1989). The flood pulse concept in river-floodplain systems. Canadian Special Publication of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences, 106: 110–127.
Kaplan, D. M., Chassot, E., Amandé, J. M., Dueri, S., Demarcq, H., Dagorn, L., & Fonteneau, A. (2014). Spatial management of Indian Ocean tropical tuna fisheries: potential and perspectives. ICES Journal of Marine Science, 71(7), 1728-1749.
Lévêque, C., Oberdorff, T., Paugy, D., Stiassny, M.L.J. and Tedesco, P.A. (2008). Global diversity of fish (Pisces) in freshwater. Hydrobiologia, 595(1): 545–567.
McCluskey, S. M., & Lewison, R. L. (2008). Quantifying fishing effort: a synthesis of current methods and their applications. Fish and fisheries, 9(2), 188-200.
Mogaka, H. N. (2024). Assessment of the ecological drivers of fish species distribution, diversity and abundance within the littoral zone of Lake Victoria, Kenya (Doctoral dissertation, University of Eldoret).
Nwosu, F.M. and Holzlöhner, S. (2006). Influence of water parameters on fish abundance and diversity in the estuarine Cross River, Nigeria. Journal of Fisheries International, 1(2–4): 88–93.
Ojo, A., Akingbola, O., Gbadamosi, M., Samuel, O., Olabamiji, I., Aboderin, E., & Mustapha, A. (2025). Assessment of sustainable fishing practices in artisanal fisheries in Nigeria.
Okafor-Yarwood, I. (2015). The effects of seasonal variation on fish stock availability and artisanal fishing in Nigeria. International Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Studies, 2(6): 183–188.
Ovie, S.I. and Raji, A. (2006). A Guide to the Identification and Classification of Inland Fisheries and Their Operational Characteristics in Nigeria. New Impression, Ilorin.
Owiredu, S. A., Onyango, S. O., Song, E. A., Kim, K. I., Kim, B. Y., & Lee, K. H. (2024). Enhancing Chub Mackerel catch per unit effort (CPUE) standardization through high-resolution analysis of Korean large purse seine catch and effort using AIS data. Sustainability, 16(3), 1307.
Paugy, D., Lévêque, C. and Teugels, G.G. (2003). Faune des Poissons d'Eaux Douces et Saumâtres de l'Afrique de l'Ouest. Tome 2. Musée Royal de l'Afrique Centrale and IRD Editions, Tervuren.
Reed, W., Burchard, J., Hopson, A.J., Jenness, J. and Yaro, I. (1967). Fish and Fisheries of Northern Nigeria. Ministry of Agriculture, Northern Nigeria, Gaskiya Corporation, Zaria.
Reustle, J. W., & Smee, D. L. (2020). Cloudy with a chance of mesopredator release: Turbidity alleviates top‐down control on intermediate predators through sensory disruption. Limnology and Oceanography, 65(10), 2278-2290.
Sarkar, U. K., Mishal, P., Borah, S., Karnatak, G., Chandra, G., Kumari, S., ... & Das, B. K. (2020). Status, potential, prospects, and issues of floodplain wetland fisheries in India: synthesis and review for sustainable management. Reviews in Fisheries Science & Aquaculture, 29(1), 1-32.
Skelton, P.H. (2001). A Complete Guide to the Freshwater Fishes of Southern Africa. 2nd Edition. Struik Publishers, Cape Town.
Tafida, A.A., Raji, A., Jimoh, W.A., Abubakar, F.A. and Bello, J.M. (2014). Species composition and relative abundance of fish in Tiga Lake, Kano State, Nigeria. International Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Studies, 1(3): 01–05.
Tellier, J. M. (2021). Spatial and Temporal Variation in the Habitat Quality and Resource Utilization of Fishes in a Large Lake Ecosystem (Master's thesis, Purdue University).
Tweddle, D., Cowx, I. G., Peel, R. A., & Weyl, O. L. F. (2015). Challenges in fisheries management in the Zambezi, one of the great rivers of Africa. Fisheries Management and Ecology, 22(1), 99-111.
Valdemarsen, J. W., & Suuronen, P. (2003). 19 Modifying fishing gear to achieve ecosystem objectives. Responsible Fish. Mar. Ecosyst, 321.
Wanjari, R. N., Shah, T. H., Telvekar, P., Bhat, F. A., Ramteke, K. K., Ahmad, I., ... & Mathialagan, D. (2026). Fish Catch Composition, Diversity, and Conservation Status in the Lower Reaches of the Unexplored Tropical Wainganga River, Eastern Maharashtra, India. Fisheries Management and Ecology, 33(2), 298-326.
Wantzen, K. M., Junk, W. J., & Rothhaupt, K. O. (2008). An extension of the floodpulse concept (FPC) for lakes. Hydrobiologia, 613(1), 151-170.
Welcomme, R.L. (2011). An overview of global perspectives on the management of inland fisheries. In: Simon, P. and Cooper, D. (eds.) Freshwater Fisheries Ecology. Wiley-Blackwell, Oxford. pp. 1–24.
Zanghi, C., & Ioannou, C. C. (2025). The impact of increasing turbidity on the predator–prey interactions of freshwater fishes. Freshwater Biology, 70(1), e14354.
Zeller, D., Vianna, G. M., Ansell, M., Coulter, A., Derrick, B., Greer, K., ... & Pauly, D. (2021). Fishing effort and associated catch per unit effort for small-scale fisheries in the Mozambique Channel region: 1950–2016. Frontiers in Marine Science, 8, 707999