Fish is generally regarded as a primary source of protein for many poor African fishing communities. The present study compared the relative importance of fish as a high-quality dietary protein source with meat in fishing communities in two states in Nigeria. Fifty fishing households in which active fishing was the primary activity and fifty non-fishing households (agriculture being stated as primary activity) in traditional fishing communities were randomly selected in the coastal state of Lagos and the inland state of Niger. A simple weighing balance was designed and given to each household to measure fish or meat entering the household for consumption. A comparison of consumption using this method against the 24 h recall method revealed that the recall method accounted for only one third of actual fish consumed. Overall, the price of fish was higher and consumption lower in Lagos compared with Niger State. At the household level in both states, the consumption of fish in fishing households was twice that of non-fishing households, whereas meat consumption was similar. A total of thirty-nine different fish species were consumed, with Tilapia contributing 24 % by weight of the fish consumed. In both states, beef was the most frequently consumed meat, followed by goat meat. The study revealed a high preference for fresh fish. The highest fish consumption occurred in March, corresponding to the period of lowest meat consumption. On a unit weight basis, heads of households consumed 59 % more fish than their wives or children.
Fish is generally regarded as a primary source of protein for many poor African fishing villages. Most of the fish consumed in the fishing villages in Nigeria consists of freshwater species such as tilapia. Tilapia previously considered of little commercial value is now being considered a human food. The aim of the present study was to determine the importance of tilapia in the diet of fishing villages in Niger state, Nigeria by examining the household consumption of different fish species. A total of one hundred households in fishing villages in five local government areas (LGA) of Niger state were randomly selected for the study. The households consisted of fifty fishing households where active fishing was the primary activity and fifty non–fishing households (where agriculture was the primary activity). A 24 hour recall was used to obtain the amount of fish consumed by each household, the form of fish cooked (fresh, smoked, dried) and the source of fish (whether the fish was purchased in the market or caught directly by household members from local rivers). A general linear model was used to analyse fish consumption to establish significant (p<0.05) differences in monthly fish consumption between fishing and non-fishing households. A total of 24 fish species were recorded in the diet of the people with tilapia contributing the highest percentage (19% by weight) of the fish consumed. All fishing and non–fishing households consumed fish during the survey period. Fish consumption was significantly higher in fishing than non–fishing households. Fishing households consumed an average of 188g of fish per day (69kg/year) compared with 127g fish per day (46kg/year) for non-fishing households. Household consumption of fish varied during the year. The highest fish consumption occurred in March, 2009 in all the households. There was a negative correlation (r = - 0.124, p = 0.013) between fish consumption and income. The study shows a high preference for fresh fish.
In the study of aquaculture, much attention has been focused on bio-technical aspects. Economic research is often neglected by researchers and fish farmers. This paper examined the profitability of fish farming in Niger State, Nigeria. Data was collected by means of semi-structured questionnaire administered to 90 fish farmers randomly selected from three Agricultural zones in Niger State. The study revealed that fish farming is profitable in Niger State as a result of positive net returns, high rate of incomes and benefit-cost ratios and, therefore capable of creating employment, generating income and improving the standard of living of the people. Fish farming should therefore be encouraged and supported. Support could be in the form of technical assistance or subsidies.
Brush parks consist of branches of trees or shrubs stuck into muddy bottoms of lagoons, lakes or rivers at a depth of 1 to 1.5 m. The branches are placed in water to form aggregations, which are removed after a short lapse of time, together with any fish that may have sought shelter amongst them. Brush parks are found in several of the West African coastal lagoons such as Lagos and freshwater environments in Niger State, Nigeria. The study examined the profitability of the brush parks in two states in Nigeria. Data was collected by means of semi-structured questionnaire administered to 200 fishermen with brush parks selected in a random manner from Niger and Lagos States of Nigeria. Independent samples t-test was used to compare the means of two independent samples for test of significance. Chi square (χ 2) was used to investigate the significant relationships between pairs of categorical variables. Relationships between pairs of quantitative variables were tested using Pearson correlation. The profitability indices showed that brush parks are profitable in the two states. The brush parks are more profitable in Lagos State because net return was significantly (p=0.001) higher in Lagos than Niger State. Rate of income (91%) and benefit-cost ratio (10.3) were also higher in Lagos than Niger State. Production of fish from brush parks should be supported and encouraged. Support could be in the form of technical assistance, infrastructure development, extension services or subsidies.
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