National survey of fishing gears and crafts on Nigerian inland water bodies
Item Type monograph
Publisher National Institute for Freshwater Fisheries Research
Download date 07/10/2021 07:22:44
Link to Item http://hdl.handle.net/1834/18709 L\ULIEIft [ft[
NA1]ONAL SURVEYS OF F1SHING GEARS AND CRAFTS ON
NIGERIAN INLAND WATER BODIES
A REPORT PREPARED
BY
NATIONALINSTITUTE FOR FRESHWATER FISHERIES RESEARCH (NIFFR) ((Federal Ministry Of Agriculture And Rural Development) PMB 6006, NEW BUSSA, NIGERIA
APRIL, 2002 Nation1 Institute for Freshwater Fisheries Research (NIFFR), P.M.B. 6006, New Bussa, Niger State, Nigeria.
Tel:03 1-670-444; 031-670-241
Fax: 031-670-444.
Published and Printed in Nigeria by NIFFR, New Bussa, Niger State.
© NIFFR 2002.
All rights reserved, no part of this publication may be produced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, otherwise, without the prior permission of the copyright owner.
ISBN 978-177-051-1
For bibliographic purposes, the document should be cited as follows:
National Institute for Freshwater Fisheries Research (NIFFR), 2002 National Surveys of Fishing Gears and Crafts on Nigerian inland water bodies NJFFR Occasional Paper No.4. ix, 54p. ISSN 0794-2451, iSBN 978-177-051-1 UST OF SCENTflSTS
Upper/Lower Benue River And Chad Ba&ns F.C.Okoye 0.0. Sule A.A. Dada A.M.Sule E.C. Okwundu I. Asekome Abubakar
Hadejia/Jama'areAnd Sokoto River Basins J.0.,Ayanda I.G.Mbagwu G.O. Adesina E.O. Adelowo G. Woru
Upper/LowerNigerRiverBasins F. Daddy N .0. Bankole B.C. Azionu S.0. Alamu F. Adepoju J. Issah
Osun, Ogun And Owena RiverBasins S.I. Ovie W.S.O. Omorinkoba F.C. Odunze J.K. Okomoda tjmoru Isab B. Adigun
Anambra, (mo,Niger Delta.And CrossRiver Basins T.LI. Ibiwoye P.O. Aluko B.M. Yesufu J.A. Abiodun B.A. Falayl C.0. Wonah
Coordnators Dr.A.A. Eyo Dr. A.N. Okaeme
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The National Institute for Freshwater Fisheries Research, New Bussa, undertook a national inventory of fishing gears and crafts in all the thirty-six states of the Federation including the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja. This survey was undertaken with the aim of(I) identifying and documentingte various fishing gears and crafts employed by artisanal fisherfolks in the v&ious rier basins of Nigeria. (ii) ascertain the costs of the gears and crafts as Well as •uie source of funds for purchase and (iii) to establish a reference center for available gears and crafts in the country. The river basins studied and properly described in this document are:
1.The Upper / Lower Benue River and Chad Basins.
•2.The Hadejia — Jama'are I Sokoto Rima River Basins.
3.The Upper I Lower Niger River Basins. 4.Osun I Ogun and Owena river Basins. 5. Anambra / Imo Niger Delta and Cross River Basins. The study revealed the gears commonly employed by the fishers in all the basins. These include Glilnets, Cast nets, Long lines, Lift nets, Beach-seine nets, Drift nets and assorted Traps (Malian gura, cane, wire, stow net). Some of these gears are peculiar to certain basins. Some also bear names linked with the target species e.g sawa net, Bonga drift net etc. Prices of the gears also vary from location to location but were generally very expensive especially the factory fabricated ones. Prices ranged from N2, 500 to N6, 500 per bundle depending on the location and type of gear. Crafts employed by the fishers include plank boats, dugout canoes, half dugout canoes and the traditional gourds. Most of the boats in the inland water bodies were not motorized due to the high costs of outboard engines. By comparison, more boats were motorized in the coastalareas than in the inland waters. Outboard engine types include Yamaha, Suzuki, Mercury and Enduro. Yamaha is commonly used in the Upper/Lower Benue River and Chad Basins. It is Yamaha, Suzuki and Mercury in the Hadejia/Jama'are, Sokoto Rima River Basins. In the Ogun/Osun Owena River Basins Yamaha, Suzuki and Enduro hold sway. Prices of outboard engines which was about N15, 000 about four to five years ago now costs about N250, 000 presently for a 25 Horse Power engine.This makes outboard engines to be out of reach of the common fisherfolks. Recommendations made to alleviate the problem of high costs include: -reduction of import tariffs on fishing gears and outboard engines. - giving input subsidy tofisherfolks - encouragingfisherfolks to form duly recognized organizations like cooperatives and fishers associations to make access to government policies and aid easy. CONTENTS
StudyTeams ii Executive Summary iii Contents iv List of Tables viii List of figures viii List of Plates ix
Chapter One I 1.1. Introduction I 1.2. Aims and Objectives I 1.3. Study Area I 1.3.1 Upper/Lower Benue river and Chad Basins 2 1.31.1. Location 2
1.3.1.2. Vegetation / 2 1.3.1.3. Climate 2 1.3.1.4 Evaporation 2 1.3.1.5. Soil 2 1.3.1.6. Water Resources 2 1.3.2. Hadejia - Jama'are and Sokoto- Rima River Basins 3 1.3.2.1. Location 3 1.3.2.2 Climate 3 1.3.2.3. Vegetation 3 1.3.2.4 Soil 3 1.3.2.5 Hydrology 3 1.3.2.6 Population 3 1.3.3.Upper Lower Niger R. Basin 4 1.3.3.1 Location 4 1.3.3.2 Climate 4 1.3.3.3.Vegetation 4 1.3.3.4. Soil and Geology 4 1.3.4. Osun — Ogun and Owena R. Basin 4 1.3.4.1. Location and Population 4 1.3.4.2. Vegetation 4
iv 1.3.4.3. Drainage system .4 1.3.5. Anambra (no Niger—Delta and Cross R. Basin 5
1.3.5.1. Location 5 1.3.5.2. Climate 5
1.3.5.3. Drainage 5 1.3.5.3.1 The Cross River System 6 1.3.5.3.2 The Anambra Manu system 6 1.3.5.3.3. The Manu Basin 6
1.3.5.3.4. The Imo system 6
1.3.5.4.1Humid 7
1.3.5.4.1.1 Saltwaterforest 7
1.3.5.4.1.2 Freshwater swamp forest 7
1.3.5.4.1.3. Rain Forest 7
1.3.5.4.2 Derived Savanna 7
1.3.5.4.3 Semi — Montane Forest and Grassland 8
1.3.5.5Soil 8
1.3.5.6Population 8 1.4. Methodology 8
Chapter Two 11
2.0 Gears 11
2.1. Upper! Lower Benue Rivers and Chad basin 11
2.1.1.Cast net 11
2.1.2. Gill net 11
2.1.3. Long line 11
2.1.4. Liftnet 11
2.1.5. Beach seine net 11 2.1.6.1 Traps (gura) 12 2.1.6.2. Cane trap 12 2.2.Hadejia — Jama'are and Soköto River-Rima River Basin 20 2.2.1. Gears data 2.3.. Upper! Lower Niger River Basin 24 2.3.i Water Bodies 24 2.3. Types of gears 24 2.3.3. Length of gears .24 2.3.4. Mesh size 24 2.3.5. Hook size 24 2.3.6. Number of Hooks 24 2.3.7. Types of Sinkers 24 2.18. Types of float 24 2.3L9. Material for head Rope 25 2.3.1.0.Ageof gear 25 2.3.1.1. Method of storage 25 2.3.1.2. Cost price of gear 25 2.3.1.3. Place of 25 2.3.1.4. Source of funds 25 2.4. Osun — Ogun and Owena River Basins 28 2.4.1. Gear types 28 2.5. Anambra-Imo Niger Delta & C/R.Basins 28 2.5.1. Fishing gears 28 2.5.2. Anambra state 28 2.5.3. Enugu 28 2.5.4. Ebonyi State 28 2.5.5..Abia State 29 2.5.6. Rivers, Cross R. Akwa-lbom & Bayelsa States 29
Chapter Three 32 3.0. Fishing crafts 32 3.1. Upper / Lower Benue River & Chad Basins 32 3.1.1. Dug out canoe 32 3.12. Canoes 32 3.1.3. Gourds 32 3.2. Hadejia/Jamaare & Sokoto Rima R. Basin 36 3.2.1. Kebbi State 36 3.2.2. Sokoto State 36 3.2.3. Katsina State 36 3.2.4. Zamfara State 36 3.2.5. Kano State 36 3.2.6. Jigawa State 37
vi 3.3 Upper/lower Niger River Basins . 39 3.3.1. Fishing crafts 39 3.3.2. Length (LOA) 39 3.3.3. Age 39 3.3.4. Cost price 39 3.35. Place of purchase 39 3.3.6. Source'of fund 39 3.3.7. Motorization 40 3.4. Osun-Ogun and Owena R. Basins 43 3.4.1.Crafts 43 3.4.2. Cost of 43 3.4.4. Source of fund 43 3.5. Anambra-Imo Niger Delta C/River Basins 43 35.1. Anambra State 43 3.5.2. Enugu State 43 3.5.3. EbonyVState 44 3.5.4. Abia State 44
Chapter Four 47 4.0 Discussion 47 4.1 Recommendation 48 References 51 Acknowledgements 52
vi' UST OF TABLES
Table 1. Summary of Gear Data from the Surveyed States of the
Sokoto- Rima Hadejia Jama'are river Basins 21 Table 2. Gear data for Upper/Lower Niger River Basins . 27 Table 3. Fishing Craft, Gear and Water body sampied in Niger Delta Anambra- lmo and Cross River 30 Table 4. Fishing Gears of the Niger Delta, Anambra —Imo and Cross River 31 Table 5. Summary of craft data from the Surveyed States 38 Table 6. Craft data for Upper! Lower Niger River. Basins 41 Table 7. Fishing Crafts sampled in the Niger Delta Anambra-lmo and Cross River Basins 45 Table 8. Outboard Engines Sampled in the Niger Delta Anambra-Imo and Cross River 46 Table 9a. Summary of Gear Data for all the River Basins 49 Table 9b. Summary of Craft Data for all the River Basins 50
LIST OF AGURES
Figure 1 Map of Nigeria Showing the River basins 10
viii LIST OF PLATES
Plate1. Gillnet (Monofilament ) 13 Plate2 Cast net 14
Plate 3 Long line . 15 Plate 4. Operation of Lift net 16 Plate 5 Beach seine net 17 Plate 6, Fishing Trap 18 Plate 7. Fish Trap (Ndurutu) 19r Plate 8. Dug out canoe 33 Plate 9. Plank canoes 34 Plate 10. Gourd 35.
ix
CHAPTER ONE 1.INTRODUCTION Due to the varied habits and habitats of the fish species peculiar to water bodies, an assorted array of fishing gears are equally employed to catch them. Seasonal changes both in species diversity and abundance also necessitate changing over to varied gear several times in the year. This makes fishermen to employ various fishing gears in the performance of their fishing activities depending upon the season and period. Recent advances have also led to improvement in the types of fishing gears employed by the artisanal fishers. The gears include different types of fishing nets, which are factory manufactured but mounted to specifications by fishers themselves. Fishermen also engage in the fabrication of different types of traps, which they use to catch fish. Fisherfolks who are engaged in small-scale fisheries in Nigeria use gears and crafts made up of both natural and synthetic fibers. The natural fibers are readily obtained from the abundant plant resources. However, most of the gear types are made with synthetic twines and netting materials (Nylon) which are imported at very high costs.Plastic floats, lead sinkers (flat sheets) and outboard motors are also imported at exorbitant prices. The rising cost of these materials now constitutes a big problem and constraint to fisherfolks.This is because many of them find it difficult to replace theiraged and overused fishing gears and crafts as and at when due. To effectively use any gear or fish any water body with success the fisher needs a kind of mobility to enable him/her reach both near and distant fishing grounds. This necessitates the acquisition of a canoe/boat or even a local or traditional gourd as craft. How far the craft can transverse depend on whether it is motorized or not. The complementary crafts used by the fishers to prosecute their artisanal fishery business also require adequate attention. The NationalInstitute for Freshwater Fisheries Research (NIFFR) recognizes this problem of high cost of fishing gears and crafts militating against artisanal fisheries. As a first step towards alleviating this problem, a nation wide survey was undertaken to cover the diverse River Basins located in various ecological zones of the country. The survey forms part of a national study to collate a comprehensive statistics of the aquatic resources, their location, distribution, and methods of exploitation in the thirty-six States of the Federation including the Federal Capital Territory. 1.2. Aimsandobjectives The aims of this particular survey are:
1. To identify the various fishing gears employed by fishermen in the inland waters of Nigeria 2. To identify the various fishing crafts employed by fishermen in the inland waters of Nigeria
3.To ascertain the cost of each gears and craft and source of funds for purchase and 4.To assemble available gears and crafts as a reference center. This report therefore presents a checklist of the gears and crafts used by fishers in all the river basins/agro-ecological zones of Nigeria. 1.3 STUDY AREA Nigeriais divided into various agro-ecological zones and the study areas are the various River basins, which are located in these different agro-ecological\ zones of the country (Fig 1). These are: 1. Upper/Lower Benue Rivers and Chad Basins. 2.Hadejia-Jama'are/Sbkoto- Rima River Basins. 3.Upper/Lower Niger River Basins. 4.Osun/Ogun and Owena River Basins. 5. Anambra-lnio Niger Delta and Cross River Basins. 1.3.1.Upper/Lower Benue Rivers and Chad Basins 1.3.1.1 Location: ThisUpper and Lower Benue Rivers and Chad Basins isin theNortheastzone of Nigeria and is made up of Adamawa, Bauchi, Borno, Gombe, Taraba and Yobe States. These States fall within latitude 9° and 13°N and longitude 8° and 8'E and 14° 5'E (Satia, 1990). 1.3.1.2. Vegetation: Based on the vegetation map of Nigeria, the States in the study area are situated within the Sahelian Zone while Southern Adamawa and Bauchi are mainly in the Northern Guinea Zone (Udo, 1975). Agroecologically, Borno, Yobe and Jigawa States are dry sub- humid zone while Bauchi and Adamawa are sub-humid zone (ANON, 1992). 1.3.1.3 Climate: The climatic regime is characterized by a single dry season followed by a shorter wet season.In the Sahel, mean annual rainfall is less than 500mm and may fall to 250mm (Kowal and Knabe, 1972).In the Sudan Savanna, it is 500-800mm while in the Northern Guinea Savanna it ranges between 800-1000mm. The number of wet months is about four months in the NorthernGuinea savanna zone to less than one month in the Sahel zone. Mean annual temperature is 26°C increasing tdwards the Sahel zone to about 28°C. Humidity is very low throughout the dry season. 1.3.1.4. Evaporation: Potential evapotranspiration in the zone exceeds rainfall except for the few wet months. Excessive evapotranspiration in the zone leads to water deficit for most part of the year resulting in loose hardning of the soils and neutral to alkaline soil reaction. (Van Wanbeke, 1982). 1.3.1.5. Soil: The soils of the north east zone is generally very loose subsoil, slightly clayey sand red to orange brown with not more than I m deep. The soils are formed from windsorted desert sand with evidence of encroachment of the Sahara Desert (Oyenuga, 1967). The major soil types are alluvial soil from southern Borno, ferrosol and ferruginous tropical for northern Borno, Yobe and Jigawa States. Most of southern Jigawa and Yobe have semi-arid brown and arid softBauchi is a mixture of ferrosols, feruginous, lithosols and vertisols, while Adamawa is mainly lithosols and vertisols (ANON, 1992). 1.3.1.6. Water Resources: The main source of surface water relief and drains from rivers Yobe, Gongola, Lake Chad, Lake AIau, Wetlands of Hadejia River Basin, Chad Basin and Upper Benue —Gongola River Basin, earlier studies by lt et.aI.(1985)estimated a total of over 113661.9 hectares of reservoir and Lake Water, 190.31 of ponds and flood plains and .78 hectares of earth dams for cattle. Though, the area is endowed with surface water, it has even a greater reservoir of underground water.Abstraction of water from the aquifers is very reliable (Ezeigbo and Ogbukagu, 1991). The yield of .water from this zone is exemplified by several free-flowing
2 boreholes sited along high ways for cattle and community drinking water sources in Borno, Yobe and Jigawa States. 1.3.2.Hadejia/Jama'are and Sokoto- Rima River Basins 1.3.2.1 Location The Hadejia-Jamaare and Sokoto- Rima River Basins in Northwest zone of Nigeria lies about Latitude 9° to 14°N. and Longitude 3.5° to 12°E. The states visited which form the zone include: Kebbi, Sokoto, Zamfara, Kano, Jigawa and Katsina. 1.3.2.2 Climate The zone has two distinct climatic patterns. A wet and dry season. A unimodal peak with annual ranges of between 500mm to 1600mm characterizes the wet season.All the rain in the zone falls within 5 months.Rainfall begins by June and stops by October. The two seasons are determined by the ITCZ controlled by two prevailing air masses: The Northeast Trade Winds which brings the harmattan and the South West trade winds which brings rain fall. Relative humidity ishighest during the wet rainy season and lowest in the cold harmattan periods. Average sunshine for the area is 8 hours while temperatures are highest in April/May (ranging between 32°C and 40°C). Temperature is lowest in December/January (ranging between 12°C and 17°C). All the conditions of rainfall, temperature, relative humidity are very markedly different from the South of the zone to the North. 1.3.2.3 Vegetation The vegetation of the zone varies from the Southern part to the northern part according to intensity and duration of rainfall.Generally the area falls within the Sudan Savannah characterized by short grasses and deciduous tress.The most common trees are: Butyrospermurn paradoxum (Shea butter), Acacia albeda and Combretum micranthum spp. Annually, during the dry season, bush fires burns out most of the grasses. 1.3.2.4 Soils There are (4) major soil types in the zone. The first type is the ferruginous tropical soils found around the northern guinea Savannah area that extend into the southern part of the zone. The next is the weakly developed soils comprising Regosols, brown soils and reddish- brown soils with desert origin.These groups of soils are further north of the first group discussed earlier on.The third type is ferrisols while the fourth is hydromorphic soils. Generally, the soils of the zone consists of well-drained soils with sections being poorly drained and strongly leached. 1.3.2.5 Hydrology The zone lies in a region drained by two major river systems.These are the river Sokoto and rivers Hadejia/Jama'are. These major river systems constitute large wet lands along their channels. From these, many water bodies and lakes have been formed. Alsd intense draw down agriculture is done in these areas. 1.3.2.6 Population According to the 1991 population census, the zone has over 19 million people. These are made up of 50% males and 50% females. About 80% of the population are said to live in rural areas. These people engage mainly in Agriculture.Poverty and illiteracy level for the zone are also very high.
3 1.3.3.Upper/Lower Niger River Basins. 1.3.3.1 Location: The Upper/Lower Niger River Basins lies between latitudes 6°50' — 110 50'N and longitudes 30 — 10° 40'E. These basins comprise of Benue, Kaduna , Kogi, Kwara, Nassarawa, Niger, Plateau states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). 1.3.3.2. Climate In general, the rainfall regime decreases considerably from the northern to the southern portions of the zone. Apart from latitudinal variation considerable differences occur as a result of altitudinal differences. The rainy season in the north spreads from May to October with a single peak in August. In the south, two peaks mark the rainy season and that spread from March to November. In Lokoja area to the south, rainiéll is about 1270mm with rainy season length of 240 days.Around J05 plateau, the rainfall rises to about 1270mm as a result of orographic effects of"the higher elevations. Generally, the length of the dry season rarely exceeds 6 months within the Benin/Niger trough thus its major tributaries flow throughout the year 1.3.3.3. Vegetation The vegetation within the study area is of the guinea savanna vegetation zone, Keay (1959). Again as a result of topographic changes, rainfall differences and edaphic factors, some pockets of other distinct vegetation types are supported within the study area 1.3.3.4 Soils and geology The study area is underlain mainly by the Precambrian basement complex, which covers more than half of the entire area of northern Nigeria. The cretaceous sediments also udderlay the remaining area of the Niger— Benue trough. The southern area of Niger State (Kontagora — Mokwa- Bida) up to the Niger River valley is covered by gently undulating landscape underlain by the Nupe sandstone. In the Benue river basin area there are pockets of recent sedimentary rocks, sandstone, shale and limestone. There are also comparatively small areas of volcanic lava around Jos and the Mambilla hills. 1.3.4. Osun/Ogun and Owena River basins. 1.3.4.1. Location and Population The states ofDelta, Edo, Lagos, Ogun, Ondo, Ekiti, Osun and Oyo make the Osun- Ogun Owena River Basins. They collectively cover 114,271 km2 which is approximately 12% of Nigeria's total area. The zone is highly urbanised with population of 22,230,670 in 1991, made up of 11,284,433 males and 11,046,237 females. The population is projected to reach 40 million by the year 2010. Population density varies from 194km2 tol,589 km2.(NPC, 1991) 1.3.4.2. Vegetation The vegetation varies from mangrove through diverse forest communities to the woody Savannah. 1.3.4.3. Drainage System The major rivers in the Basins are the Ogun, Osun and Osse rivers. The fisheries system consists of capture and culture. Capture fisheries involves three systems; the coastal marine, brackish and freshwater. Culture fisheries are limited to earthen ponds and concrete tanks in the freshwaters.
4 1.3.5. Anambra-Imo Niger Delta and Cross River Basins. 1.3.5.1. Location The Anambra-Imo Niger Delta and Cross River Basins area (Miller et a!., 1991; Adedipe et a!., 1996) constitutes a significant proportion of the East flank of the Niger Delta, most of it within the coastal belt. The states in the zone includ Anambra, Enugu, Ebonyi, Abia, Imo, Cross River, Akwa Ibom, Rivers and Bayelsa, lying within latitude 4.5°— 7° N and longtitude 7°- 9° E. It occupies a land mass measuring 240 km from the North to South and 240 km from east to west with a total land area of 78.612 km2 The area shares a boundary with the Republic of Cameroon to the east while the River Niger and its creeks bound itto the West, and the Bight of Bonny to theSouth. Its Northern.— most towns include Nsukka to the West, Ogoja and Obudu to th&East..The area is occupied by Bayelsa, Rivers and Akwa lbom states to the South; Enugu state to the North while Anambra, Abia, Ebonyi and Imo states occupy the center; Cross River state stretching from the coast in the south to Benue State border in the North borders the area in the east. Plains under 200m above sea level dominate the land surface of the area. The characteristic trend of the topography is that of a gradual slow ascent from the Niger Delta in the south west of the region to the eastern high lands of the Oban Hills and the Obudu Plateau both in the Cross River State. The gradual ascent is interrupted by a series of stop- like escarpments. 1.3.5.2. Climate According to Adedipe et a!. (1996) the survey area is typically equatorial with two main seasons: the rainy and the dry season. The rainy season characterized by heavy thunderstorm lasts from April to October, while the dry season covers the remaining months of November to March during which there may be occasional rains. The on-set of the rainy season in the coastal area may be as early as March, and the rainy season may last till mid- November. The monthly distribution of rainfall shows a noticeable fluctuation in the month of August usually termed as the "August break". It enjoys over 3,500mm of rain with a double maximum (April-July and September—October) The high rainfall in this region causes much leaching in the very poor soil, supporting coconut, cashew nuts, oilpalm and similar plants. The Niger Delta region receives the least sunshine time in Nigeria: 1500 hours per annum with July being especially cloudy.The mean annual rainfall varies from 2250mm in the costal areas of Bayelsa, Rivers, Cross River and Akwa Ibom states, to about 1,500mm in the Northern fringes of Cross River, Enugu and Anambra states. In most parts of the zone, temperatureisusuallyhighaliyear round. The average minimum and maximum temperatures are about 25°C and 32°C, respectively. The rainy season is characterized throughout the area by relatively high temperatures (25°C -33°C) and high relative humidity (85-95%). The dry season is characterized by the dry harmattan winds whose intensity is more rigorously felt on the northern parts of the Cross River, Enugu and Anambra states from late November to early January than in the rest of the area. The mean annual potential evapo—transpiration (PET) varies from 1425mm in the coastal area of Akwa Ibom, Cross River, Rivers and Bayelsa states to 1625mm in the northern —most areas of Anambra, Plateau area of Cross River state the PET is particu1rJy low, being about 1125mm. 1.3.5.3. Drainage Drainage here refers to the network of streams in the South East zone. Only general reference is made to the nature of ground water.
5 Apart from the Delta region of cris-crossing creeks and channels and the smaller basins of the Kwa Ibo, the Calabar, the Great Kwa, and the Akpa, the study area is dominated by three drainage systems -the Cross river, Niger-Anambra -Manu, and the Imo. 1.3.5.3.1. The Cross River System From its Mbu headwaters at an elevation at about 2,236m in the Republic of the Cameroon to its mouth in the Calabar estuaryin the Bight of Biafra, the Cross River is about 540 kilometers long. The Cross River enters the South-Eastern zone of Nigeria at a point where itis joined by the north-flowing Awa tributary at the border between Nigeria and Cameroon. Following a zig-zag course for some 25km, it emerges from gorges-like valleys through Ikom to the sea The Total drainage area of the Cross River is about 50,439 square kilometers. Of this only about 28,370 square kilometers are in the South-eastern State. Impeded drainage characterizes the Abakaliki area in the dry season and has produced particular agriculture practices. The Cross River is the most navigable of the streams in the Eastern State, especially between lkom and its mouth where it flows and meanders in a broad valley of wide plains. Abia, Cross River System. 1.3.5.3.2. The Anambra - Manu System The Anambra-Manu system has a total area of about 15, 497 square kilometers. Of this the Anambra basin has a total area of 8,880 square kilometers. Of this, only about 1,153 square kilometers are within the south-eastern states. This is mostly in Anambra State, with a little fraction in Enugu State. The Anambra River with headwater in Kogi State is approximately 23km long from its source at an elevation of about 350 metres in the false-bedded sandstone formations of Ankpa, its main tributary before entering the Eastern states at Obudu (110km long), the Anambra river flows irfto the Eastern states at Ogurugu, in Enugu state, whère it is joined by the Ofu tributary (itself some 115km long). From here the Anambra ltne of weakness believed to be faulted enters the Niger at Onitsha in a series of meanders of varying wave lengths over a lowland plain of about 120 meters in elevation. 1.3.5.3.3. The Manu Basin The Manu together with its principal tributary, Adada, has a total area of about 6,670 square kilometers, of which between three-fifths and two-third is contributed by the Manu River. The Manu Basin extends from the western part of the Enugu-Awgu ridge in Enugu State, to the Anambra basin that covers both Enugu and Anambra states. As in the Cross River basih, there is considereable influence of lithology on stream development, pattern and density. For example, in the Lower Coal Measures, dranage and channel frequency are very high, whereas in the false -beded sandstone there is a paucity of surface drainage owing to the high infiltration capacity of the sandstone formations. The Udi-Nsukka plateaU, with its low density of drainage, is characterized by sand-filled dry valleys attributed to the influence of lithology and the nature of past climates. 1.3.5.3.4. The lmo System The lmo, which has a total length of about 220 km and drains a total of about 8,288 square km, takes its source at an elevation of about 120 meters at the southern flank tip of the Udi Hills.Its small headwaters are from the Imo shale group of rocks, the Umuna sandstone, and the Upper Coal Measures respectively to the north-west and north of Okigwe. These headwaters with a high density of drainage are believed to have belonged to the Eyong Creek (now part of the Cross River) until their channel in this area flows roughly south-eastward in general coincidence with the extent and direction of the Imo Shale formations.
6 1.3.5:4 Vegetation Several factors (climate, soil, relief and man)_work in hand to make the vegetation differ from place to place. The relevant climatic factors are humidity and rainfall because these elements vary from the coast to the hinterland. Three distinct vegetation types are found in the area namely: humid forest, derived savanna and semi— montane. 1.3.5.4.1 Humid Forest Three sub-types namely: salt — water swamps, fresh-water swamps and rain forests. 1.3.5.4.1.1. Salt — water forest This is restricted to a coastal strip where the freshwater from the river meets and mixes with the salt-water from the sea. The freshwater is thus polluted and rendered saline as a result, the soil is swampy and water logged and the water is blackish. This type of vegetation occupis about 40%, 2% and 1 %, respectively of Rivers and Bayelsa; Akwa Ibom and Cross River state. The mangrove species: Rhizophora mangle, R..harrisonii and Avincennia nitida dominate this vegetation zone hence this belt is sometimes known as the "mangrove swamp". The vegetation is a tangled mass of stems and aerial roots. The roots are aerial because they tend to avoid the surrounding water. The distribution of species in this vegetation is very much dependent on tidal cycles and soil salinity. The species which has the widest range of tolerance in the mangrove areas of Cross and Calabar River is R. racemosa. In Rivers and Bayelsa states, swampy environment is replaced at the sea beaches by sandy deposits. As a result coconuts and tall reeds tend to replace the characteristic mangrove trees, along the shore. 1.3.5.4.1.2. Freshwater swamp forest This is a relatively small but important vegetation belt on the western border of the survey area along the River Niger. It occupies about 20, 10, 5 and 2%, respectively in Rivers and Bayelsa; Anambra; mo and Cross River States. Trees species encountered in this ecology include Anthostema aubi'yanum, Carapa procera, Cleisfopho/is patens, Raphia species, Erythrophelum ivorense, Oxystigma manni, etc. 1.3.5.4.1.3. Rain forest It extends almost fully across the area in a broad band. This vegetation lies between Onitsha in Anambra state, Degema in Bayelsa state, Afikpo in Abia state, Eket in Akwa Ibom state, Ogoja and Calabar both in Cross River state. Much of the area is now secondary forest as a result of man's activities, The zone is characterized by the presence of tree species of economic importance e.g oil palm (Elaeis guineensis), the mahoganies (Khaya ivorensis and K. grandifoliola), Entandrophragma cylindricum, iroko (Chiorophora exce/sa, Irvin gia gabonensis, Trichiila) species, etc. The overwhelming majority of the plants are woody. Trees fc5rm the dominant of the rain forest community, but most of the climbing plants and some of the epiphytes are also woody. The undergrowth also consists largely of woody plants- seedling and sapling trees, shrubs and young woody climbers. 1.3.5.4.2. Derived Savanna
This zone lies to the north of the tropical rain forest.Itis to a very great extent the product of man's activities in the drier northern region of the rainforest zone. Many years of clearing and burning have produced a savanna landscape of grass and scattered trees from what is formerly the rain forest. However, forests are found in the low-lying moist areas. The principal grass genera characteristic of this area are Pennisetum, Andropogon, Chloris, Hyperhania, etc. Its agricultural products are similar to those of the northern part of the rain forest orie.
7 1.3.5.4.3 Smi—MontaneForest and Grassland
Isa comparatively small patch of semi-tropical grassland-products of thelight— moderated tropical climate atop the Obudu Plateau (maximum elevation of about 2,lOOm) in the north — eastern corner of Cross River State in the South— East zone. On the slopes below this grassy cap is the dense coat of forest that merges imperceptibly into the lowland rain forest. In the majority of instances, the two forests share the same floristic elements even white the macro-morphological distinctions at times may be marked. For example, where as some tree forms (Cyathea spp) appear as midgets not taller than 1-2m in the lowland rain forest, in the semi-montane forest they readily reach 6 or 7m. 1.3.5.5. Soil Fivemain "classes" or types of soil exist in this zone, namely: lithosols, young soils, ferruginous tropical soils, ferrallitic soils and hydromorplic soils according to Jungerius (1964). 1.3.5.6. Population Accordingto the 1991 population census, this area has a total population of 18, 921, 872 people made up of 49.31% males and 50.69% females. Enugu, Ebonyi and Abia states has the highest population of 5,458,960 people or 28.85% of total zonal population, followed by Rivers and Bayelsa states 3,983,857 (21 .05%), Anambra state 2,767,903 (14.63%), Imo state 2,485,499 (13.14%), Akwa Ibom state 2,359,736 (12.47%) and Cross River state 1,740,154 (9.86%). More females were recorded in Cross River, Rivers and Bayelsa states, while the reverse is true for Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu, Imo and Akwa Ibom states. 1.4. METHODOLOGY: Acommon survey framework was applied in all the basins/agro-ecological zones in the country for the collection and analysis of data. The questionnaires administered were structured to collect the following information.
1 Type of gear,
2 Materials used for construction
3 Age of gear 4 Method of storage
5 Type of craft
6 Shape of craft
7 Width at widest point
8 Age of craft
9 Cost and place of purchase
10 Source of funds To reduce the possibility of misinterpretation, during the data collection, teams of NIFFR researchers who are familiar with the local language and area visited conducted the interviews within a 10-day duration. For the survey, each State capital was visited with an official introductory letter to the Honorable Commissioner of Agriculture and Natural Resources through its State's Chief Fisheries Officer or Director of Fisheries. Ilevant information was also obtained from River Basin Authorities, Agricultural Development Authorities and States Water Board. In addition to information gathered in the office the teams were assisted to make actual field visits to some water bodies. Each state fisheries personnel assisted the team with the logistics of getting to their respective major inland water bodies.
8 These bodies of water were directly obserd and assessed for the gears and crafts available on them. The data/records obtained coupled with the direct observation were analyzed and reported. Photographs were taken where necessary.Purchases of sample gears and crafts were also done where necessary for museum preservation. Due to time limitation, not all-available water bodies could be visited but the records obtained could be representative of all the available ones. This is because of the fact that the gears and crafts bear similarities with each other both in structure, make up and dimensions.
9 0 AREAAREA 2 =HADEJIA JAMAARE AND STATE:. AdarT#'a,UPPER / LOWER BENUE AND CHAD BASINS and YObe. Bauchi, SOKOTO RIMA RIVERGombe, BASINS Bomb, Taraba AREA 3= UPPER AND S1-ES iara, KOçi,STATES. FCT.. Niger, KCbbi, Solioto, Zamfara, and .Jigawa. LOWER NIGER BASINS caduna, Plateau, tstna Kano AREA S=.ANAMBRA,IMO,AREA 4 StATES.OS1JN pelta, O3UN AND OWENA RIVER Nasarand Oio. ar Benue. NIGER Lago3, Ogun, Oro, Ekiti, O$un DELTA AND CROSS RIVER BASINS Qam ,' lake - BASINS. STATES. Anambra, E.UgU, wa ibom,. ver EbOny, 4bia, Imo,d BaYeISa C'os rveç Pig. 1 R'S Map of Nigeria Showing The River Bastns CHAPTER TWO
2.0.GEARS 2.1.Upper/Lower BenueRivers andChad Basins Inthe north-east zone of Nigeria, fishermen employ various fishing gears in the performance of their jobs.Some of, these include in order of preference, the gilinets, longline, traps, cast nets, seine net and clap net as is generally common to other river basins both in construction and operation. 2.1.1. GHnet. These are nets fixed, to the bottom or at predetermined depth of water by means of anchor sufficiently heavy to neutralize the buoyancy of the floats.The nets vary from 20- 30m in length and 2-5m in depth. The netting material is either mono-filament (Plat 1) or multi -filament. 2-5 fishermen could operate a gill net. 2.1.2. Castnet Cast nets, which are also used in the zone, are conical nets with lead weight attached at regular intervals along the perimeter of the cone. The nettingmaterialsisnylon monofilament or multifilament with mesh sizes varying between 12 and 100mm. For each net, the total stretched height of cone varies between 3 and 6 meters. A typical cast net has a retrieving line of 4-10 metres in length and is attached to the apical portion (See Plate 2). In some cast nets, the lead line is tucked underneath and attached at intervals to the inner side of the net to form pockets for trapping fish. The net is thrown on sighting 'a shoal of fish in such a way that it opens and unfolds to cover the fish thereby trapping them in the net. The net is then gently and skillfully drawn towards the thrower by use of the retrieving line into the canoe. 2.1.3. Long line: A set of longline consists of a main line to which few of numerous short secondary lines (snoods), each terminating in a hook and is tied.Most fishermen operating on rivers and lakes in the North-Eastern zone of Nigeria generally employ this gear.Man-Man is an unbaited bottom set longline, which is effective in catching different types of fish species. The fishermen in the zone use hooks of 0.5-1.0mm in diameter (Plate 3). 2.1.4. Lift Nets. The result shows that fishermen in Adamawa State commonly employ these types of gear. The gear consists of a wooden ring of about 45-95 cm diameter, fitted with 30-45 mm mesh netting which is either drawn light or a bit loose to for'm a small bag. Three or four bridles, equidistantly tied on the perimeter of the ring, have their free ends joined to 2-5m long line. The free end of the line holds a small cork or float, which serves as the marker on water surface to show the position of the gear. The gear stays at the bottom when set and is retrieved at intervals of 10-20 minutes (Plate 4).It targets clupeids, which are freshwater sardines. 2.1.5. Beachseinenet. Beach seine net is one of the gears that the fishermen in the Northeast Basins commonly employ in fishing in rivers, Lakes and estuaries. The nets range between 30-120 metres in length and 3-8 metres in depth. Each net is hauled with a pair of ropes of 50-200 metres in length. The nets have' very small stretched mesh sizes of less than 8mm (see Plate 5).
11 2.1.6. Traps (Gura). Traps are effectively used in freshwater rivers and Lakes in the Northeast Basins. They co,u1dbe very large in sizes varying from 1-3m in length with only one non-return value, which is often placed in the centre. The main framework is made of wood or cane of 10mm diameter and then covered with netting materials (Plate 6). The traps are set singly but in a row with a stone placed on top of each trap as a sinker. 2.1.6.2. Cane trap (Ndurutil): Canetraps with entrances, in the form of funnels (Plate 7) or non-return valves accounts for a large proportion of the fish catch in many fishing areas in the northeast zone. One of the most common types is the double chambered trap known as Ndurutu. They are known 'to be efficient in catching Tilapia at certain times of the year. They are very effective when set along riverbanks.
12 Plate 1:GillNet (Monofilament) Lake Chad
13 Pate2:Cstnet
14 I
Plate 3: Long Une (Lake Chad)
15 P'ate 4: Operation of Lift net (Upper Benue River at Yoa)
16 Hate 5: Beach seine net (Lake Chad)
17 Plate 6:Fishing trap (Gura)
18 L. • j• •
Plate 7: Fish trap (Ndurutu)
19 2.2. Hadejia/Jama'areand Sokoto- Rima River Basins Asstated earlier the Hadejia/Jama'are and Sokoto- Rma River Basins in Northwest zone of Nigeria lies about Latitude 9° to 14°N and Longitude 3.5° to 12°E. The states visited which form the zone include: Kebbi, Sokoto, Zamfara, Kano, Jigawa and Katsina. 2.2.1. GEAR DATA Altogether 6 different types of fishing gears were found in the zone. These were Beach seine, cast net, gillnet, hooks, traps and driftnet.Other unquantified ones, which are not usually in common use, were also found. These include spears, knives, poisons etc. The most frequently used gears in the States are gillnets castnets, beach seine net and hooks. Ranking of their importance in terms of frequency of use is shown in Table 1. Table 1 also shows ranges of the parameters of these gears in the different States of the zone.. These parameters varied minimally for same gears in different States. However very long beachseine nets were observed in Sokoto State.Gillnets and beachseine nets were the most costly and long lasting of all the gears. Places of their purchase were within the states themselves and the funds for their purchase were personally sourced.
20 TâIe 1: Summary of Gear Data from the Surveyed States Of The Sokoto —Rima Hadejia —Jamaare river Basins C) W C.) '.- C&,0 —. 'I- O(fl •*- D00 00, u, '.G) II State Type of Gear 0 ,, ' U) U).C QU)D0. ••U) — ü5.•N0 XeCOC0 2 o .J (
of Source CD CD CD CD CD CD 0 U O -tJ
Purchase , of Place
. 0 0-o o g o p p b ° (N) Cost i, 0 0 b b g 0 , b 1—.)
(yrs.) .i - Gear of Age .. 0 Line g 01 long the in ' • Hooks of No
(1-15) Hooks of Size -:
(ins) wing of Size Mesh
(ins) Codend . of Size Mesh
(ins) Net of Size Mesh -
Lt(m) z • .. z r..' '
occurrence o 0) 0 %age -
C) 9. 9. i) ° 2. 1 . . 2 ? I -.l '< 0) -1 wCD . 0) C- 2.3.Upper/Lower Niger River Basins. 2.3.1. Water Bodies
Table2. shows the fishing gears and crafts assessed in the Upper/Lower Niger River Basins which lies between latitudes 6°50' — 11° 50'N and longitudes 3° — 100 40'E. The major water body assessed in Benue State was the River Benue. At the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) the water bodies assessed were Gurara River and Lower Usuma Reservoir. At Kogi state Rivers Ette and Gurara were ssessed. At Nassarawa, Rivers Uke, Bnue and Akware were assessed. Jebba and Shirorb Lakes were the water bodies assessed in Niger State. At Kaduna, Kangimi Reservoir vias assessed and Asa reservoir was assessed in Kwara. No water body could be assessed inPlateau state because the state's staff who were to take the team to visit the water bodies were on industrial strike. 2.3.2.Typesof Gears Most of the gears observed in this zone were as described in Udolisa et a!, (1994) for inland water bodies. Those common to all the states and water bodies and artisanal fisheries were gill nets, cast nets, long lines, and Traps (particularly the Malian gura trap).Other gears recorded but which were not common to all the states included Drift net and Beach seine net. Beach seines were recorded in FCT, Nassarawa and Niger States.Drift Nets were recorded only at Kogi State. Traditional gears (traps), called tsuru-Koto, Guku trap and Ndurutu were also recorded in Kogi State. As earlier stated all these gears had been properly described in Udolisa eta!, (1994)). Other gears used in the inland water bodies but which were not seen during this survey includes grappling and wounding gears like spears and purse seines. - 2.3.3.Length of Gears Thegill nets varied in length from lOm in Benue State to 700m in Kogi State. Generally however, they ranged between 100 to 200m.In terms of depth the gill nets ranged from 2.5m in all the states to 6m in Benue and Kogi states.3" to 3W mesh sizes were more common in Niger State. The beach seine nets ranged in length from 50m in FCT to lOOm in Kogi State. Long lines ranged in length from 40m in FCT to 1 ,400m in Kogi State. Generally however they ranged between 80-lOOm. 2.3.4.Mesh size Generally the mesh size common to all the states assessed was 2W. But the meshes used ranged from 1 1/2" in Kogi to 4" at FCT. 2.3.5. Hook sizes Sizes of hooks employed by the fishers in the various states ranged from size 15 (smallest size used) at Kogi State to size 7 (biggest size used) at Federal Capital Territory. 2.3.6. Number of Hooks The number of hooks varied.at the different locations. This is due to the peculiarity of the water body where they are being employed. This is in terms of both width of water body (e.g. river), and indentation (reservoirs)or open water on reservoirs The hook numbers ranged from 40 at FCT to 3200 at Kogi State.Generally however they ranged from 400- 1000. 2.3.7.Typesof Sinker Predominantly stone was the preferred sinker used among the fishers. This might not be unconnected with its ready availability and cheapness since it was not purchased. Few cases of lead were observed and they were only for cast nets. 2.3.8. Types of Float Styrofoam was the choice float recorded in all the states.It was only in Niger State where a case of rubber was recorded.Even the assumed rubber is again Styrofoam because it was slippers.
24 2.3.9.Material for Head rope For all gill nets and drift nets Nylon ropes were used in all the states.But for cast net kuralon was used while thicker Nylon ropes were used for Beach seine net. 2.3.10.Age ofgear The gill nets ranged in age from 1-3 years. But at Nassarawa State some gill nets were up to 6 years and beach seine up to 8 years. Here, the gears ranged in age from 2-8 years. It was in this state only where the gears were found to be aged. 2.3.11. Method of storage It is worthy of note to observe that most of the fishers have not cultivated the habit of storing their nets or gears.It is only for the long lines that one noticed some semblance of storage on wooden sticks possibly in preparation for next setting. But there is no other storage method for other gears like gill-nets etc. Only the trap is stored stacked one on top of the other in a well-arranged fashion. 2.3.12. Cost price of gear For gill nets the cost prices are as different as the location and size.But the general price seems to be between N4,500.OO per bundle at Kogi state to N6,000 at FCT. Mesh size also influences the amount of purchase. 2.3.13. Place of Purchase The place of purchase is also as varied as the states. At Beriue, Makurdi was the place of purchase.At FCT there were diverse places of purchase — Lokoja, Abaji, Yaba and Gwagwalada. At Kogi State places of purchase included Lokoja, Jamata, Edeha, Giriyam. At Nassarawa State they were Mesaka, Uke, Lafia, Azara, Umaisha, Nassarawa and Makurdi. There are more locations for purchasing the gears in Nassarawa State than in any other State. At Niger State Zumba and New Bussa were places of purchase. 2.3.14. Source of funds Predominantly the fishers bought gears with their personal funds in all the states. The only few exception were recorded in Kogi State.A few people took Bank loans and government subsidy.
25 TABLE.2: GEARState GearTypes Of DATA OfLength Gear GearDepth Of NetSizeMesh (In) Of (Yrs)GearAge Of GearCost Of(N) PurchasePlace Of FundsSource Of Remarks Lga. Gtllnet 10 6m. 2" 2 1 3000 BenueFCT GillCastTrapsHooks net net 13-18m1.51.7m15 2.5 2"- 3" 2-32 70005007501500-7000 Lokoja,MakurdiMakurdi Abaji Personal GwagwaladaMakurdi (Marimari)Longline 6m4m 1 500 AbajiLokoja Personal GwagwaladaGwagwalada LonglineGill-netCastmalian net traps 40-lOOm20-120.m4m 2.5m 2-3'2" 2 25002700-350035001200 YabaLokoja,Abaji Yaba Personal AbajlGwagwalada GillCastBeachseine net net 40-60m3-4m5Orn 2m 2.5"-3" 13l-2yrs 2000-25006000 Lokoja Personal Abajl CastMarimariLongline net 4m40mSUm 3" 25yrs 450030005000 Lokoja Personal AbajlAbajl Man-ManGillGillnet net 90m60300 2-3.53m 2-3.52" 1 2000400018500 LokojaGwagwalada Personal AbajlFCDA Kogi LonglineGill netLongline 50-130-40m30-50m 00 2 1121/2 23 -1/2 4" -4 32009000-2000018001600-3000 Lokoja LokojaYabaLokoja BankloanGovtPersonal Subsidy Bassa BassaAbajl DriftTrapsCastnet net Malian 605 2 1/2 2 1/2 21 250011-16000 Lokoja GovtBank Subsidy loan Bassa Bassa Tsuru koto 26 2500 Lokoja Personal Bassa State GearTypes Of OfLength Gear GearDepth Of NetSizeMesh (In) Of Age(Yrs)Gear Of GearCost Of(N) PurchasePlace Of FundsSource Of Remarks Lga. Kogi L/lineGill net (Runtsa) 900-1400 40-700m 2.5m 2"- 4" 2 2200-25002500-37000 Jamata LokojaEdeha/Lokoja Personal KogiKogi LGA LGA TrapsDriftCast netnet (Malian, 60-68m 21/24m 21.5 41 28003000 Lokoja Personal Kogi LGA Nassarawa Gill netBeachNdurutu) seine 10080-100 2 1/2 .5"-2" 2-8yrs2-6yrs1 2600-36002000-30001800015000- MesakaMesaka/UkeEdeha/Jamata Personal Personal KaruKaru LGA LGA GillLongline net 100-200m50-150-120100 00 2 1/2 2 1/2 2"-3"1 1/2 - 2 2-4yrs2-5yrs1 4500900-15002000-29002500-3500 - 8000 Umaisha AzaraLafiaMesaka Personal TotoAweKaru LGALGA MalianLonglineCast net gura 100-200m8m 2 3-4yrs 400-12001200-1400 UrnaishaUmaisha Personal Toto CastGillnetLonglineGill net net 350-10050-1 00 2.52 1/2 2.5-3.52 1/2 1-3yrs 2700840-150021 00-3200 -3200 Nassarawa Personal KokonaNassarawa Niger LongGillMalianLongline net line gura 100-120m100-200m50-80 2yrs1-3yrs 6400-1400010001300-1 500 Zumba ZumbaMarkudi Personal ShiroroKokona Malian gura Im 0.9m 1.5 27lyr 1500 Zumba Personal Shiroro 2.4. Osun/Ogunand Owena Riverbasins. TheOsun/Ogun and Owena River basins comprise ef Delta, Edo, Lagos, Ogun, Ondo, Ekiti, Osun and •Oyo States. They collectively cover 1.14,271 km2 which is approximately 12% of Nigeria's total area. 2.4.1. Fishing gear types There are about five commonly used fishing gears in the zone. They are gill net, cast net, purse seine net, hooks/long lines, traps (wire). The gillnet length varies from 50- 200m with mesh sizes of between 1- 5 inches. The cast net on the other hand has between 1-3inches. The. common sinkers are stones and lead while the floats are made up of Styrofoam and cork/rubber. A fishing gear costs between N1,000-N20,000 depending on which gear and the quantity a fisherman demands. The fishing gears could readily be purchased in almost all the States in the Zone. 2.4.2. Source Of Fund For fishing gears respondents said funds were obtained from personal savings, cooperative loan, bank loan and in few instances through government subsidy. 2.5. Anambra-lmo NigerDelta andCrossRiver Basins. TheAnambra-Imo Niger Delta and Cross River Basins area constitutes a significant proportion of the East flank of the Niger Delta, most of it within the coastal belt. It comprises of Anambra, Enugu, Ebonyl, Abia, Imo, Cross River, Akwa lborn, Rivers and Bayelsa States. These lie within latitude450_ 70 N and longitude 7°- 9° E occupyinga total land mass area of 78.612 km2 2.5.1. Fishing Gear The artisanal fishery of these states in this zone presents a great variety of fishing gear locally named by the targeted fish species. The gears could be classified as modern (gill net, cast net, drift net and beach seine) and traditional (pots, spear and traps). The Gill net, Cast net, Longlines and Traps are the common gears in use while the Beach seine, Purse seine and Spear are present mainly on the ocean. The gill nets had lengths ranging from 50-lOOm, with the mean depth being about 3.2m and mean mesh size of 2.5" (Table 4) 2.5.2. Anambra State The available fishing gears included Gill net, Cast net, longlines, Drift net, Purse.net and traps (Table 4). The gears were purchased from Onitsha with fund either raised personally by an individual fisherman or through a cooperative society. 2.5.3. Enugu State. The fishing gears available in the state included Gill net, Cast net, longlines, Drift net, Beach seine, lift nìet and traps (Table 4). The gears are purchased from Enugu with personal fund. 2.5.4. Ebonyl State In this state the fishing gears available includedGill net, Cast net, longlines, Beach seine,liftnet, Hook and traps (Table. 4). The gears are purchased from Abakaliki with personal fund.
28 2.5.5. Abia State The fishing gears available in the state were gill net, cast net, drift net, longlines and Nkpete (Table 4). The gears were purchased from Aba with personal fund. 2.5.6. Rivers, Cross river, Akwa Ibom and Bayelsa States The fishing gears and crafts used by the Artisanal fishermen in Rivers, Cross river, Akwa Ibom and Bayelsa states were similar to those of the preceding states both in design, construction and types.
29 Table 3: Fishing craft, gear and water body sampled in each stateState of the Niger Delta Anambra- Imo and Cross River Basins Type of fishing Craft Type of fishing gear Source of fund sampledName of water body EnuguAnambra Do,AluDO, and PLK-DO, PLK PLK and GN, CN,DN, BS,CN, LL,PN, TR, LL, LNTR CooperativePersonalPersonal fund fund and NineRiverNiger Lake River and and Idodo Anambra River C,rosEbonyl River Do and PLK ON,ON, CN, LL, LL, BS, PT, HK, TR, LN, PN CN, TR. Personal fund CrossEbonyi River river and Cross River BayelsaAkwa Ibom DOandDO and PLK PLK ON, ON, LL, TR,SP, ON,TR Personal fund OglaukoOgbuko lake lake AbiaRivers DO,Do and PLK-DO PLK and PLK ON,ON, CN, ON, LL, DN, TR, LL, BS Nkpete Personal Fund NewImo Calabar River. river Note: Do SP=Spear,GN= Gill net, PThP CN = Cast net, DNDrift net, BS=Beach seine, LL—Longlines,Dugout; PLK= PN= plank; Purseine A/u— Aluminum, Net, TR=Traps, PLK - LN=LiftDO net, Plank-Dugout, 30 Table 4. Fishing Gears in each state of the Niger Delta Anambra- lmo and Cross River Basins
State Type of Av. Av. Mesh Age Cost Place of Source of Gear LengthDepth size Purchasing Fund Abia Gill net 70m 4m 5" 2yrs 10,000 Aba Personal Cast Net 4m 2m 1.5" 1 yr 15,000 Aba Personal Drift net 1Dm 5m 2" 3yrs 20,000 Aba Personal longline Tm im 2yrs 2,000 Aba Personal Nkpete 4m 2m 3yrs 3,000 Ekanobizi Personal Anambra Gill net 4Dm 4m 3.5" 2yrs 6,740 Onitsha Personal Cast Net Sm 3m 3.0" 2yrs 4,000 Onitsha Personal Drift net 1 5m 6m 2.5" 2yrs 2,350 Onitsha Personal longline 1Dm 2yrs 5,000 Onitsha Personal Traps Locally Personal Akwa Ibo Gill net 5Dm 3.5m 3" 2yrs 3,500 Uyo Personal Cast Net 3m 4m 2.5" lyr 4,500 Uyo Personal Longline 2Dm 15m lyr 1,500 Uyo Personal Bayelsa Gill net 50m 3m 2.5" 5,000 Yenegoa Personal Cast Net 5m 5m 2.5" 4,000 Yenegoa Personal longline 5Dm 25m 2,500 Yenegoa Personal Spear 3m 450 Yenegoa Personal Traps 250 Locally Personal Ebonyi Gill net lOOm 3m 3.0" 2yrs 4,500 Abakaliki Personal Longline 25m lOm 2yrs 1,500 Abakaliki Personal Enugu Gill net 50m 3m 3.5" 2yrs 3,500 Onitsha Personal Cast Net 3m 6m 2.0' 2yrs 3,200 Onitsha Personal Beach 50Dm 5.6m 0.1" 3yrs 35,000 Onitsha Coop. Seine Longline lOm lyr 300 Onitsha Personal Traps lyr 250 Obuofia Personal C/Rivers Gill net 10Dm 6m 3.5" 2yrs 5,000 Calabar Personal Cast Net 4.5m 2.0" lyr 2,600 Calabar Personal Longline Sm 2Dm lyr 2,000 Calabar Personal Pot 2m 450 Locally Personal Traps 2.5m 350 Locally Personal Scoop net 4m 1.5m 1.0" lyr 1,500 Calabar Personal Rivers Gill net lOOm 4.5m 2yrs 18,000 P/Harcourt Personal Drift net 13Dm 4.5m 1.5" lyr 25,000 P/Harcourt Personal Cast Net 6m 6m 2.0" 2yrs 5,800 P/HarcOurt Personal Beach 25m 2.5m 0.1" lyr 15,000 P1Harcourt Personal Seine Longline 2Dm 3yrs 20,000 P/Harcourt Personal Traps 7m lyr 4,000 P/Harcourt Personal
31 CHAPTER THREE 3.0.FishingCrafts 3.1. Upper/Lower Benue Rivers and Chad Basins 3.1.1.Dug-Out Canoe
Thetraditional canoe, which is still in use in the northeastern part of the country, is the dugout canoe, which is carved out of a single log or timber. The designs and fabrication have evolved over the years and modified to suit the differeot methods and aquatic environments. They are generally small in size and with narrow beam. The length varies from 3.5-7.0 metres.Paddles are mostly used in moving the canoes (Plate 8).Outboard engines are seldom used.
3.1.2.Canoes Theseare commonly used in the study area as fishing craft. They a) commonly built up with wooden planks. (Plate 9). Mahogany (Khaya iroronsis) and Term/na/ia superba are used by skilled carpenters for the construction of planked canoes.According to the fishermen, the planks are purchased and seasoned by air-drying for 2-3 weeks and may be treated with solignum as a preservative before use. The planks are held together with glue and nails.They are sometimes sealed with rubber or synthetic sheets.The canoe is manned by either 2 or 3 fisherfolks and moved by paddles.In shallow and muddy waters, long paddles are also used to propel the canoe.
3.1.3. Gourds Anothercommonly used craft in Lake Chad and River Benue is the calabash. This serves a dual purpose for the fishers. It enables the fishermen to float while setting their nets in water and it is also used for storing captured fish (see plate 10).
The fishermen in the northeast zone use common fishing gears, which include: gill nets, east net, long line and traps. The gill nets and other nets are made of nylon materials locally constructed by the fishermen. The use of improved fishing gear accessories such as stones for sinkers, plastics, and pieces of old slippers Styrofoam, wood/sticks and cornstalk for floats were common inallthe river basins. These materials are alternatives to the recommended knes, which they said, are currently beyond the reach of fishermen.The fishermen pay higher prices for gear materials because they buy from locations far away from fishing grounds through middlemen.
Inland water fishermen in all the river basins of Nigeria commonly use canoes. The canoes are mostly made of planks bought from various towns particularly those noted for fishing activities in the various river basins and which serve as the main supplying centers. Canoes are generally used by fishermen in all the six states of the northeast of Nigeria. The canoes are made of planks bought from various towns like Gombe and Maiduguri which serve as the supplying centres. Some canoes used are locally built at fishing locations but the materials purchased frbm source. Only few of the fishermen in this zone use motorized
32 t H
I trtzrtt" Plate 8: Dugout canoe
33 Pbte 9: P'ank canoes (Lake Chad)
34 Pate 10: Gourd (At Nurnan)
35 boats. The cost of the outboard engines they use vary from N40,000-N24O,000 depending on the Horse power. 3.2 Hadejia/Jama'are and Sokoto- Rima River Basins 3.2.1. KebbiState Allthe sampled fishermen used flat-bottomed plank boats of between 6 and 8 mm long.The ages of the boats ranged from 1to 10 years and their cost were between N3,000.00 and N6,000.00. The fishermen purchased their crafts from Yauri, Yelwa and Titi- malom fase using their personal funds.Only 2% of the boats were motorized. The predominant outboard engine type was Yamaha of 1OHP capacity. The engines were up to 15 years old, costing aboUt N12,000.00 at the time of purchase. The engines were bought mostly from Yelwa with personal funds. 3.2.2.Sokoto State Agreater proportion of the fishermen in this State used. gourds of about 2m in diameters. The boats in use were mostly plank and flat bottomed of 7-18m in length. The crafts which are purchased mainly from Gando, Goronyo and Wudil were within the ages of 2 to 10 years for boats and 1 to 20 years for gourds. Motorised crafts are few (10%) using Yamaha and Suzuki outboard engine brands of 8 to 10 HF and purchased mainly from Sokoto the fishermen bought their craft and engines with their personal money. Cost of gourd ranged between which 250.00 and N6, 000.00 while boats ranged between Nb, 000.00 and 60,000.00. Outboard engine cost between NI 5,000.00 and which N25,000.00. 3.2.3. Katsina. Gourdsused for fishing rangedbetween 1and 3m in diameter. The boats are between 5 and 7m in length and are flat — bottomed plank types. Craft are purchased from many towns including Duba, Kandaya, Kano, Wayaka, Wudil, Yauri and Zaria. An insignificant number of boats were motorized, with 1OHF Yamaha engines of 10 to 15 years old.Engine were purchased mostly from Kano at Ni 5,000.00 to N25,000.00. Fishermen purchased their inputs with their personal money. 3.2.4. Zamfara. Onlya fifth of the crafts used in these State are boats and are flat-bottomed of 1 non- motorised and 5 to 7 m long. The rest are gourds of 1-3m in diameter and are sourced from several towns including Sokoto, Yelwa, Kano, Wudil Yauri and Zaria.Fishermen use their personal funds to purchase these. Inputs cost between Ni 8,000.00 and N22,000.00 for boats and N200.00 to Ni 000.00 for gourds. Gourds are between 1 to 15 years of age while boats are between 1-5 years. 3.2.5. Kano Gourds are sparingly used in this State and where used they were sourced from Wudil. These gourds are between 1 and 2m in diameter, aged between 2 to 3 years and cost between N200.00 and N800.00. Boats are more commonly used for fishing here.These are flat bottomed, plank boats ranging between 6 to 20m in length, ito 25 years in age and Wi,000 to N40,000 in cost.Source of these boats is diverse and include Bangare, Ibi, Kano, Nata'ala, Onitsha, Rurum, Wakari, Wassai, Wudil, Yada Kunya and Zango. Motorized boats are common here with10 to 25 HP Yamaha, Suzuki and Mercury out-board engines mostly used. Ages of the engines are between 10-25 years and they cost between Nb0,000.00 and N90,000.00.Major place of purchase is Kano.Both crafts and engines are purchased with personal funds.
36 3.2.6. Jigawa The use of boats and gourds by fishermen is common in this State. Six to seven meter fiat.bottomed boats are common and their ages range between 1 to 5 years.Boats cost between N500.OO and N7,000.OO and are sourced from about 13 towns (Table 5). They cost between N5,000.OO and N7,000.OOmotorized boats are not frequent. Suzuki brands of 10- 15 HP and commonly used and their costs average N15,000.00. Major city of purchase is Kano. Fishermen acquire all their fishing inputs through personal funds. Gourds are ve' prominent as fishing crafts here and this diversity of sources of crafts in the surveyed Stated indicates that a lot of the fishermen mirate and carry their crafts along while moving. While crafts are available in the States themselves, the outboard engine are obtained from only a few large cities.Fishermen in these states strictly use their personal funds for the acquisition of their fishing inputs.
37 State Types of Craft ShapeEV:F1 Length (m) Table 5: SummaryAge of Craft(yrs.) Data from the Surveyed States Cost (=N=) Place of Purchase Sourcesof Fund Motorised? - Engine Type HP (yrs.)Age Cost (t4) SokotoKebbi GourdPlank 34% 86% FlatboatsFlat for 15Boats,76 to Gourds, 8 to 10;Boats,ito 10Gourds, 2 to toBoats,i0,0003,000 60,000; to 6,000 WudilGando,MalauYauri, Yelwa, Goronyo, Titi- Personal Yes90%Yes98% 2%No 10%; No Yamaha,Yamaha 10 08-15 10 15,00012,000.00 Kastina GourdPlank 14%, 86% boatsFlat for 27.3Boats, Gourds, Sto Boats,35;ito Gourds, 20 to toBoats,iO,0006,000Gourds, 60,000; 250 to Kano,Duba, wayuka,Kandaya, Personal 95%Yes 5%; No YamahaSuzuki 10 10- 15 25,00015,000-to25,000 Zamfara GourdPlank 20%, 80% boatsFlat for 7.3Boats,5ito Gourds, 3.4 to 5;Boats,i Gourds,ito9 to toBoats,iO,000850Gourds, 22,000; 150 to Kano,Sokoto,Wudil, Wudil,Yauri,Yauri, Yelwa, Zaria Personal No 100% — - - Kano GourdPlank 90%, 10% boatsFlat for 20 Boats,6toitoGourds,i 3 25;Boats,1ltolS Gourds, to 40,000;Boats,1000Gourds, 1,000 200 to ZariaNata'ala,Bangare, Onitsha,lbi, Kano, Personal 80%Yes 20%; No Suzuki,Yamaha, 10-25 5-16 90,00010,000- to 2.1 2 to 3 800Gourds, 500 to yada'kunya,Wasal,solely).(GourdsRurum, Wudil, Wukari,, from Zango Wudil Mercury Jigawa GourdPlank 42%, 58% boatsFlat for Gourds,1Boats,6 to 7 5;Boats, Gourds,i ito 7,000;Boats,5000 Gourds, to Gujingo,Birnin Hadejia,Kudu, Dumus, Pesonal 92%Yes 8%; No Suzuki 10- 15 - 15000.00 to3 to 10 i30 to 1100 Tsakunnawa,Shingarin,Kano,Kachako,Halimbe, Sara, Kamal, Hantsu, Wudil. 38 3.3.Upper/Lower Niger River Basins 3.3.1. Fishing craft Generally the crafts observed in this zone were as described for the inland water bodies of Nigeria in Udolisa eta!, (1994). Table 6 shows the crafts assessed in the zone. The crafts recorded include plank boats at Benue state, dug-out canoes, plank canoes with gourds at FCT. Predominantly the crafts were V-shaped in almost all the states. At Nassarawa, there were gourds predominantly and dugout canoes. In Niger State, dugout canoes, plank boats and gourd were recorded but the crafts were more of plank boats. Some of which had flat- bottom while most were V-shaped.
At Kaduna State half dugout canoes were mostly seen. At Kwara it was plank canoes whileit was both plank boats and dugout canoes at Kogi State.
3.3.2. Length (LOA) The boats ranged in sizes from 4.5m at FCT to 12m at Benue State and 16m at Niger. The width of the boats also varied from O.75m at FCT to 1.lOm at Nassarawa and 5m at Niger State. 3.3.3. Age The crafts ranged in age from 1 year in FCT to 6 years in Niger State and 9 years in Narassarawa State. Generally however the crafts were within the 2-4 years age bracket. 3.3.4. Cost price.
The price ranges are also location specific. A boat of 6.5m cost about N7,000 in Benue, another one of 7m could be purchased at N3,500 in Niger State while that of 12m cost 22,OOO in Nassarawa State. 3.3.5. Place of purchase. At Benue State, Makurdi was the place of purchase.At FCT there were about 5 locations where boats were purchased. These were Yaba, Lokoja, Adagba, Gwagwalada and Abaji.At Kogi State, Lokoja and Girinya were the places of purchase.In Nassarawa State,places of purchase included Mesaka, Azara, Umaisha, Makurdi, Lokoja and Nassarawa towns.In Niger State, places of acquiring boats included Zumba, Kuta, Jebba, Lokoja and Malale. Boats could be purchased from Kaduna in Kaduna states. while fishers from Kwara get their canoes from New Bussa area. 3.3.6. Source of fund. Most fishers acquired their boats and canoes through personal funds. A few people from FCT bought theirs through loan from cooperative. Many at Kogi state also purchased theirs through Government subsidy and Bank loans.
39 3.3.7. Motorization The only motorized boats were recorded in Niger State. They had Yamaha outboard engines of 8, 15, 25 and 40 Horse Powers. The prices for these were N 10, 000.00, N 70, 000, N 150, 000 and N200, 000 respectively.The engines were purhased from Minna through personal funds
40 Table 6: Craft Data — W G) . 9- B G — —w — c' 9-Q)Ocw - W0 .0 .W ) Z 2W w0 Cl) U)0 4 E,< . u < 00 ( LU I 00 5 0 FCTBenue boatsPlank-o V-shapeh 6.0-6.5m 1.5 52-3 6500-7000 Markudi0. PersonalI)O No ao. cn Gourds Round 200-2500 Yaba/lokoj.! Personal No ' boatsPlankDugout V-shape 5.0-6.5 bottomFlat 6.0-6.5 0.8-1.00.75 1-4 3000-150002000-4000 Adagba aYaba/lokoj Personal Personal No PlankboatsGourds Round V-shape 5.3-9.04.5 0.9-1.10.80.9 3-641-7 4000-60004000400-1200 AdagbaLokoja Personal!Personal No Plank-canoes V-shape 5-6m 1 2 3500-6000 Gwagwala Personal yeCooperati No Kogi dugoutPlankPlant-Dugout SHAPE VV- Shape 5.0-8.4 5.4-7.5 1.lOm1.0 m 2-4 2000-4500 Lokojada/Abaji Coop/GovPersonal!Subs No rawaNassa- Gourd Round 0.80.83 0.8 3-82-3 600-1500600-8003500-6000 AzaraMesakakpo/GirinyaLokoja/Ara Bankloan Personal NoNo 41 4- , 'i-. U) '-0 U) — 4-c0 03 G ZU) w .2 XO. Z—' I.- U) w0 0 .co4- Gourdio>4: RoundOø.oI 0.8d-) 'There are predominantly two types of fishing boats in thiszone namely: a.The planked boats which are mainly flat-bottom b.The dug-out canoes which are V-shaped The boats have an average length of 5metres and a width of 1 metre The age of the boats varied from 2-8 years 3.4.2. Cost Of Boats/Canoes A planked boat within the zone costs between N5,000 some three to four years ago to about N18,000. The boats ages range from two years to seven years. On the other hand a dug-out Canoe within the zone costs N3,000 -N8,000 only. As expected the highest price for boats are found in Lagos State. 3.4.3 Outboard Engines The commonest outboard engine in the zone was Yamaha while Suzuki and Enduro were also in use. Most of the Out -board engines were between 5-8 horse power with a maximum age of 12 years. The Out board engines which cost between N120,000-N150,000 were purchased from either Onitsha or Lagos. 3.4.4. Source Of Fund The respondents claimed that the out board engines were bought with personal savings as well as from cooperative society. 3.5. Anambra-Imo Niger Delta and Cross River Basins. 3.5.1. Anambra State The fishing crafts availablein the state include Dugout, Plank, Plank-dugout and Aluminium. But the predominant canoe is both dugout and plank. The dugout canoe is made of plank measuring 5 meter long on average with mean width at widest point at O.6m. The Canoes were non-motorised with average cost of 443,500 and V in shape. The planked canoes had average length of 1 3.5m with mean width of 0.9m. They were flat bottomed and usually motorized with Yamaha engine raging from 15—40 Horse Power (Hp) which were mainly purchased from Onitsha with either personal fund or' loans from cooperative society. 3.5.2. Enugu State The craft available in the state included dugout and planked canoes. The characteristics of these canoes were similar with those of Anambra state, except that in most cases both 43 the dugout and planked canoes were motorised with Yamaha engine ranging from 8-25 Horse Power (HP). 3.5.3 EbonyiState Thecommon canoes were dugout and planked types. The characteristics of these canoes were similar with those of Anambra and Enugu states. 3.5.4. AbiaState Thecrafts available were similar to those available in Anambra, Enugu, and Ebonyi States. In this zone the predominant canoes were both dugout and plank (Tables 7) with the dugout canoes measuring between 5-7 meters long with mean width of O.5m at widest point. They were made of hard mahogany wood (Khaya sp.) and were mostly used in rivers and estuarine areas with a crew of 1-2 persons. The dugout canoes were V-shaped. On the other hand, the planked canoes measuring between 9-12m were mainly used for marine fishing with a crew of 6-8 fishermen. They were flat bottomed and were made of Black Afara (Terminal/a sp.) and Iroko (Chiorofora exelsa) with average width of O.9m at widest point. Most of the dugout types were non-motorised and were mainly purchased in the local government headquarters with personal fund. The planked canoes were mostly motorised (Table 8) with Yamaha engines ranging from 8-40 Horse Power (Hp ) and were mainly nijrchased in the State capital with either personal funds or cooperative loan. 44 Table 7. Fishing crafts sampled in each state Of the Niger Delta Anambra- Imo and Cross River Basins State Type of Av. Av. Age Cost Place of Source of Craft Length Width Purchasing Fund Abia DO 7.Orn 3.Om 3yrs 50,000P/Harcourt Bank loan PLK 8.5m 2.75m 2yrs 40,000P/Harcourt Bank loan DO 5.2m O.7m 2yrs 6,500 Onitsha Personal Anambra PLK 13m 0.85m 2yrs 10,500Onitsha Cooperat. ALU 12m 1.5m 8yrs 65,000Onitsha 0/subsidy Akwa/lbom DO 5.8m 1.Om 2yrs 7,500 Uyo Personal PLK 8.Om 0.7m 2yrs 6,000 Uyo Personal Bayelsa DO 6.Om 0.8m 2yrs 8,000 Yenegoa Personal PLK lOm 12m 3yrs 6,500 Yenegoa Personal Ebonyl DO 5.5m 0.8m 2yrs 3,500 Abakaliki Personal PLK 7.Om 1.Om 3yrs 6,000 Abakaliki Personal Enugu DO 6.Om 0.9m 3yrs 10,500Onitsha Cooperat. PLK 4.5m 0.85m 2yrs 6,000 Onitsha Personal C/River DO 6.Om 0.8m lyr 3,500 Calabar Personal PLK lOm 1.2m 2yrs 5,800 Calabar Personal DO 8.Om 1.3m lyr 25,000P/Harcourt Personal Rivers PLK 7.Om 1.2m 5yrs 35,000P/Harcourt Cooperat. DO-PKL lOm 1.5m 3yrs 40,000P/Harcourt Personal •Key: DO Dug-out PLK — Plank 45 Table 8. Outboard Engine sampled in each state of the Niger Delta, Anambra- ilmo and C'oss River Basins State Engine HP Age Cost Place of Source of Type Purcha- Fund sing Abia Yamaha 15 2yrs 75,000 P/Harcourt G/Subsidy Yamaha 8 lyr 40,000 Onitsha Cooperative Anambra Yamaha 15 2yrs 65,000 Onitsha Cooperative Yamaha 40 5yrs 80,000 Onitsha Pers/Coop. Akwa/lbom Yamaha 8 2yrs 45,000 Uyo Cooperative Baye(sa Yamaha 15 2yrs 70,000 Yenegoa Cooperative Ebonyi Yamaha 15 2yrs 65,000 Enugu Cooperative Enugu Yamaha 25 2yrs 75,000 Onitstia Cooperative Yamaha 8 3yrs 36,000 Onitsha Cooperative C/River Yamaha 25 2yrs 90,000 Calabar Cooperative Rivers Yamaha 25 6yrs 280,000 P/Harcourt Personal Yamaha 40 4yrs 550,000 P/Harcourt Cooperative 46 CHAPTER FOUR 4.0. DISCUSSION Thegears commonly employed by fishers in all the river basins/zones had been given in the individual reports but is summarized in Table 9 a. These include gill nets, cast nets, long lines, lift nets, beach seine net, drift net, traps (Malian gura, cane, wire). There were some gears which were peculiar to the coastal waters but which were not reflected in the data due to the short duration of the survey.These included the purse seine nets among others. Some of these gears also bear names, (appellations) linked with the target spp, e.g Sawa dragnet, Bonga driftnet, Shark duff net, Sawa/Bonga encircling gill net etc. Stow net is a kind of trap peculiar to the coastal areas too that is targeted against shrimps, small fish and brackishwater eels. Barrier traps are employed both in the shallow inland waters and the coastal areas. Furthermore wire traps are used in the coastal areas while Malian gura dominate the inland waters. Even in the inland waters the Malian gura has modifications, fore.g the Kanembu gura (adopted by the Kanembu fishers of the NE) is a three or four chambered modification of the popular Malian gura. It is common only in the Lake Chad area whereas bamboo traps are commonly used in the brackishwater of he coastal areas. Generally the prices of gears were location specific but they were in the overall context quite expensive, particularly the factory fabricated gears. This. had made their purchase to be out of the reach of the artisanal fishers. The price of the gill net varies from N2,500 per bundle to N 6500 depending on the location. The same gear cost N 500 a bundle a couple of years back. For the crafts, the fishers employ plank boats, dug-out canoes, half dug-out canoes and gourds for fishing (Table 9b). Boats used are generally not notorized due to the high costs of the outboard engines. In the Sokoto- Rima, Hadejia Jamaare River basins for example, between 2%-20% of the boats are motorized. Non was motorized in Zamfara State of the same zone. The percentage is the same for the Upper and Lower Benue/Chad Basin area. In comparison more boats are however motorized in the coastal areas.This enables the fishers reach more deeper fishing waters offshore In Upper/Lower Benue River and Chad Basins the commonest outboard engines were Yamaha.In Sokoto/Rima and Hadejia Jama'are Rivers Basins they were Yamaha, Suzuki and Mercury inorder of importance. In the Upper and Lower Niger River Basin it was Yamaha. In the Ogun/Osun and Owena River basins Yamaha, Suzuki and Enduro hold sway. Yamaha also dominates the Niger Delta, Anambra-Imo and Cross River Basins. The prices for gears, crafts and, outboard engines as well as sources of fund and place of purchase had equally been given in the individual basins reports. For example the prices ranged'from N 15,000 about 2 years agoto N250000 presently for a 25Hpoutboard engine. 47 This constitutes a major constraint militating against both the fishers and artisanal fish production. 4.1.Recommendations Toalleviate this problem of high cost of gears, crafts and outboard engines, itis recommended that: (i).Government should come to the aid of fishers by reducing importation tariffs on fishing gears and outboard engines. (ii).Government should give input subsidy to fishers to enable them have access to t inputs. (iii). Fishers should be encouraged to form duly registered associations or organizations e.g cooperatives. This could be used to form a pressure group and avenue for benefiting from Government input subsidies and bank loans. These would go a long way in improving the production of fish in the artisanal sector. They would also help towards achieving sustainable livelihood among the fisherfoiks. 48 ______Table 9a: Summary of Data on Gears For All GEARS the Basins River Basin — .Eaa) a) •3 w a)Traps a) j3 °- Cl) 5a) - . —--—- 0 - 0 > Ec . Price Benue/Upper-Lower River c j - (9ca 0 " - - - < PersonalLL N6500fBundleN2500- Jamaare/Sokoto-Hadejia-Chad Basins ' ' - " - - - 1 - 10 Personal N6500/BundleN2500- Rima River Basins - . RiverUpper Niger & Lower River ' ' ' - 1 - S Bankloan,Personal, N6500IBundleN2500- Oguin/OwenaOsun-Basins River ' ", - .', - - .- ' CooperativePersonal,SubsidyGovt N6500/BundleN2500-. Niger-Basins N - ' —___ ' PersonalSubsidyGovtBankloan N2500- RiverimoandCrossDelta,Anambra- Basins ., - " ' " N6500/Bundte 49 River Basin Table 9b: Summary of Data on Crafts For All CRAFTS the Basins BoatPlank BoatDugout (G)Gourd CraftAge of izedMotor- OutboardType of Age of OlE Price Source of . Upper-Lower (B) (B) Yamaha,Engine(OlE) (N)BoatPlank (N)Dugout EngineOutboard(N) fund JamaarelSokotoHadejia-ChadRiver Benue/Basins (B)I -25yrs 2.1.Suzuki SuzukiYamaha 5-16 yrs 10,0001 ,000 Personal -Rima River 1-20 yrs 3. Machines Personal . Osun-RiverUpperBasins BasinsNiger & Lower " (G) HPsYamaha,15, 15, 8,40 1-9yrs 22,0002,000 - Govt subsidy Personal Delta,Anambra-Niger-Ogun/OwenaRiver Basins " ' 3.2.1. YamahaYamaha 8- EnduroSuzuki 1-8 yrs 2-8yrs 1-8 yrs 5-8yrs 40,000580022,0007,000-5-18,000 — 3-8,00050,0003,500 CoopCoop Loan LoanPersonal RiverImo and Basins Cross . 4OHP Govt Subsidy Bankloan 50 REFERENCES Adedipe,N.O: J. S. Bakshi; 0. A. Odegbaro and A. Aliyu (1996). Evolving the Nigerian Agricultural Research Strategy plan: Agro-ecological inputs. National Agricultural Research Project (NARP) 486 p. Akinyemju, O.A. (1987). Invasion of Nigeria water by water hyacinth. Journal of Aquatic Plant Management.25: 24-26. Akobundu, I. 0. and Agyakwa C. W. (1987) A Hand book of West African Weeds. ANON; (1992 a) Federal Republic of Nigeria, forestry sector review. World Bank Confidential Report No 107444 87pp. Ayeni, J.S.O.; F. Daddy and M. Mdaihli.(1998). Water hyacinth OIL Lake Kairiji, Nigeria integrated control efforts. GTZ Vieh und Fisch, 305 — 317. Ezeigbo, H.I. and Ogbukagbu, I. K.N (1991) Towards improved water supply in the Arid Region of Nigeria. In: Gadzaima (Ed) University of Maiduguri press Maiduguri. Jungerius, P.D. (1964). The soils of Eastern Nigeria. Publicaties Van het fysieh-Geog- rafish Laboatrium van de Universitein van Amsterdam. No 41 pp 185-1 98. Keay, R.W.J.(1959). An Outline of Nigerian Vegetation (3 ed.). Federal Ministry of Information, Printing Division, Lagos, Nigeria Kowal J.M and Knabe D.T.(1 972) An Agroclimato-Iogical Atlas of Northern State of Nigeria with explanatory notes ABU Zaria. Press. Miller, J. W; M. Ben-Yami; M. A. Onabanjo and B. 0. A.. Igun (1991). IFAD/UMDP AssistedArtisanalFisheriesDevelopmentproject.Proceedingsoffisheries Development Etensionists Training Course.11thNovember•6thDecember, 1991, Uyo, Akwa Ibom state, Nigeria. P. National Council for Agriculture (1999). Minutes of the National Council for Agriculture meeting held, Imo State, Nigeria 1999. National Population Commission (1991). The 1991 population Census. National Population Commission ,Abuja. Obot and Ayeni (1987). A Hand Book Common Aquatic Plants of the Kainji Lake Basin, Nigeria Oyenuga V.A.(1967) Agriculture in Nigeria: An introduction. F.A.O. Rome 1967 308pp. Satia, B.P.(1990) National Reviews for Aquaculture Development in Africa. 29: Nigeria. F.A.O fisheries circular No 770. 29 193 pp. Udo, R.K (1970) Geological regions of Nigeria. Heineman Educational books Ltd. London 212 pp. Udolisa, R.E.K., Solarin, B.B., Lebo,P and Ambrose, E.E. (1994) A catalogue of small scale fishing gear in Nigeria. RAFR Publication. RAFR/014/Fl/94/02: l42p Van Wambeke A. (1962) Criteria for Classifying Tropical Soils by Age .J. Soil Sci. 13240pp. 51 Acknowledgements Thesurvey teams' works were simplified in the field through the collective efforts of the various people mentioned below. However, several others assisted but could not be listed. Your contributions are all appreciated. Upper/Lower Niger River Basins State Contact Address Niger James Jiya Shaba Mamman Ministry of Agric. and Natural Resources Minna. Eederal Capita' Territory 0. A. Ogunmola Agriculture Division FCDA, Abuja. Kaduna Engr. D. Gamji, Per. Secretary Silas Lar,Director, Agric Services, and Lucas MANR, Kaduna Plateau C. Amadi (Civil Servants were onGreenwater Fisheries and Associates, strike). Jos. Nasarawa L Sanusi - Director Forestry A.Madaiu-Asst.ChiefFisheriesSup. MANR, Lafia. Benue C.A. Idoga- D. Director MANR, Markudi Kogi S. Olabotoke- Director Fisheries MANR, Lokoja Kwara A. Adekeye — Director Fisheries MANR, llorin. 52 Upper/Lower Benue Rivers and Chad Basins Hadejia/Jama'are and Sokoto-Rima Basins Osun-Ogun and Owena River Basins Edo Mr.E. E. Eseka Director Mr. J. lgbinovia Mr. P.N. Uzi Mr. Majomin Oshun Mr. Odedina Delta Mr. Ogheneoho (Collector) Mr. L. E.Onyechie Assistant Director,Fisheries) Mr. C.C.Mordi (Senior Fish. Officer) Mr. N.E.Okoli (Fish Supt.) Mr. Ogunbo Oladipupo Fish farm Respondent) Mal. Ibrahim UmorU Mal. Abubakar Tauri Mr. Peter Ugboro Ondo Deputy Director of Fisheries Mr. O.U.lbrahim Mr. Muraina Ayodele Zonal Fish. Supt. Okitipupa Ekiti Deputy Director, Fisheries Zonal Fisheries Office, Ado- Ekiti Oyo Director of Fisheries , Oyo State Mr. Adeleye Ogun Mr.' O.A Adeleye, OGADEP, Abeokuta Dr. S.O.Otubusin UNAB, Abeokuta Lagos Director of Fisheries,Lagos State Mr. Toluwase Anambra-Imo, Niger Delta and Cross River Basins Anambra Commissioner for Agric Director of Fisheries (Mr. S.N. Okoye) Assistant Director of Fisheries (ADP) (Mr. N. C. Nwosu) Enugu Commissioner for Agric. Director of Animal Production Asst. Chief Fisheries Officer Chief Fisheries Officer (ADP) - Mr. Eke. 53 Ebonyi Commissioner for Agric Director of Fisheries Mr. N. Okeno Cross River Commissioner for Agric Director of Fisheries - Dr. M. 0. Ella Akwa-Ibom Director of Agric Assistant DirectOrs of Fisheries - Imoh U., Iboh., Etibeh Oko Imo Dr. R. U. Nwoka (who stood in for the Director of Hsheries who was on a fietd trip in company of NIFFR Director's team on consultaricy services. Abia Director of Fisheries - Mr Akiboh Rivers Assistant Director of Fisheries - Dr. Harry. Bayelsa Director of Fisheries and his co-staff (2 Nos). 54