Livelihood Strategies of Artisanal Fisherfolk in Delta State, Nigeria

This study examined livelihood strategies of artisanal fisherfolk in inland fishing communities in Delta State. In an attempt to make a meaningful inference from the study, specific objectives were set to address the personal characteristics of the artisanal fisherfolk, the livelihood activities they engage in, their level of involvement in livelihood activities, constraints to livelihood activities, sources of information to livelihood activities and reasons for livelihood diversification of artisanal fisherfolk. A semi structured questionnaire was used to collect data from 169 respondents. Respondents’ age profile ranged between 20 to 60 years and above. Majority (44%) of them are between the ages 41 to 60. Seventy four percent of the artisanal fisherfolk are male while 26 percent are female. It was found that severe constraints confronting fisherfolk are lack of credit facility (90%), high cost of fishing nets (74%), poor transportation network (35%), pest and diseases of crops and livestock (19%). The multiple-regression analysis indicates that there is no significant relationship between marital status, educational level, family size and income and livelihood strategies.