Perceived Effects of Climate Change and Adaptation Strategies Among Fishermen Around Komadugu-Yobe River, Yobe State, Nigeria

The study explored the artisanal fishermen perceived effect of climate change and adaptation strategies around the Komadugu-Yobe River, Yobe State, Nigeria. A multi-stage sampling procedure was used to select 120 respondents. Data were elicited with 120 structured questionnaires. The data were subjected to descriptive statistics, Chi-square and Pearson Product-Moment Correlation analysis. The results showed that the fishermen’s mean age was 35.93, 100% were males, and 64.1% were educated and highly experienced (¯x=19.7) in fishing. Fishermen were aware of climate change. Fishermen perceived that climate change affected fisheries resources and livelihood outcomes (¯x=2.34). The fishermen’s adaptation strategies included increasing the price of captured fish (90.0%), increasing fishing duration (77.5%), and involvement in non-fishing activities (70.8%). There was a significant positive relationship between years of education (r = 0.241, p< 0.05), awareness of climate change (r = 0.328, p<0.05), adoption of adaptation strategies (r = 0.343, p<0.05) and perceived effect of climate change on fisheries resources. In conclusion, fishermen perceived that climate change affected artisanal fisheries of the Komadugu-Yobe River, leading to adoption of different adaptation strategies. It was recommended that the stakeholders should empower the artisanal fishermen in non-fishing activities, such as fish farming and fish processing activities.