Physical Assets Ownership of Fisherfolk in Fishing Communities of Kainji Lake Nigeria: Implications for Climate Change

A probe was carried out to ascertain fisherfolk ownership of physical assets for fisheries activities in fishing communities’ vis-à-vis implication of climate change around Kainji Lake. Interview schedule was employed to generate primary data from 165 respondents in eleven fishing communities on western side of the lake and analysed with descriptive and inferential statistics. Information on personal characteristics revealed that most of the respondents were advanced in age, small scale artisan fisherfolk with many years of experience, self employed and married with children but had poor education. Physical assets owned fall into three categories of fishing asset (33.3%), fish processing asset (41.7%) and accessories (25%). Conspicuous assets owned were fishing net, wooden canoe, hook & line, fish drying net, improved banda and modified drum smoking kiln. Physical assets that use wood and fuelwood which impinged on climate change were fishing canoe, improved banda and modified drum smoking kiln. Correlates of improved banda and modified drum kiln were marital status and number of wives. It implies that marital family’s ownership of fish smoking processing assets contributed to climate change problems through deforestation thereby causing desertification, soil erosion, destruction of ecosystem and weather variations with serious consequences on water bodies, fisheries, and livelihood in fishery around the lake. Worrisome is zero ownership of solar tent dryer which uses renewable energy of the sun and friendly to climate change adaptation. In view of prevailing evidence, adaptation to climate change is subject to modification of solar net drier to meet fish smoking needs. In alternative is exploration of biomass energy sources that is sustainable like rice husk for fish smoking as a mitigation strategy.