Keywords
Social-ecological systems
traditional fisheries management
livelihoods
Abstract
This paper presents information needed for the analysis of some of the artisanal fisheries of North East, Nigeria using the social-ecological systems (SES) framework. The information was collected in a study conducted from 1993 to 1996 covering the upper section of the River Benue in Adamawa State, the Nguru-Gashua wetlands in Yobe State, and the western shore of Lake Chad in Borno State. The results confirm the complexity and social-ecological nature of these fisheries. It revealed a widespread lack of centralized government participation in fisheries management even though its institutions have the statutory responsibility for management. The de facto institutions for the management of local fisheries resources were found to be community-based and traditional. They operate a wide range of traditional management systems that have so far maintained the resources on which the communities depend for a livelihood. These traditional institutions were found to be under increasing threats of disappearing as a result of both biophysical and social changes. The study recommends the establishment of monitoring systems to collect trend information and the use of the social-ecological framework for rigorous analysis. It concludes that it is only through this process that adequate understanding needed to implement interventions to prevent the collapse of the systems can be achieved.
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