Abstract
This study uses data from 300 fishermen that were randomly selected using a multi-stage sampling procedure to comparatively analyze artisanal fishermen welfare in core crude oil and non.-core crude oil producing fishing settlements in Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, Z test, multiple regression analysis and Foster, Greer and Thorbeck (FGT) model. Findings reveal a mean age, fishing experience, household size and education of 38 and 40 years, 7 and 5 years, 6 and 5 persons and 10 and 9 years for fishermen in non –core crude oil and core crude oil producing fishing settlements, respectively. Result further reveals that fishing households in non-oil producing settlements had a higher Mean Per Capita Household Expenditure (MPCHE) (N18, 442.34) than those in the core crude oil producing fishing settlements (N16, 375.18). The difference in MPCHE for both groups of households was statistically significant at p>0.05 level of significance. Result of poverty levels using the poverty line shows that there were more poor fishermen in core crude oil producing fishing settlements (66.7%) than non – core crude oil producing fishing settlements (54.08). The mean differences in poverty levels using poverty line reveals a statistically significant difference at 10% (p>0.10) level, buttressing a lower well-being in the later. Result of the F non –core crude oil and core crude oil producing fishing settlements erGT model reveals a Head Count Ratio, Poverty Gap Ratio and Poverty Severity values of 0.540 and 0.667, 0.154 and 0.268, and 0.052 and 0.086 for fishing households in non-core and core crude oil producing fishing settlements, respectively which further buttress a lower welfare status among fishermen in core oil producing fishing settlements. Fishermen welfare was significantly affected by age (p>0.05), household size (p>0.01), fishing experience (p>0.05), oil spillage (p>0.01), extension contact (p>0.01), household income (p>0.05) and fishing assets (p>0.05). Additionally, artisanal fishing was severely constrained by high cost of fishing gears, lack of credit facilities, lack of storage/processing facilities and poor access to extension. Accordingly, institutions should be established to equip fishermen with early warning information on threats and outbreak of oil spillage as well as possible ways of coping with them.