Performance Assessment of Artisanal Fisheries in the Kainji Dam Area of Yauri Emirate, Kebbi State Nigeria

Performance assessment of artisanal fisheries was conducted to determine the returns per fishing effort by fisherman in Yauri Emirate Kebbi state. The data collected from 135 randomly selected fishermen in the study area revealed that the fish catch per unit effort by majority of the fishermen has declined to less than 2kg after the establishment of the dam compared to more than 8kg realized by majority of the fishermen before the establishment of the dam. The fishermen attributed the decline in fish catch to obnoxious fishing methods such as; use of beach seine (Dala), use of fish fencing (dumba), use of water shedding (rumfar ruwa) and cutting of Niger grass to catch all species of fish that inhabit the particular surrounding water . The findings of the study revealed that efforts made by governmental and non-governmental organizations to control the exploitative fishing methods were not successful. The results of the study suggest that enlightenment campaign on the effects of exploitative fishing methods, establishment of Community Based Fisheries Management (CBFM) programme, and prosecution of violators of fishing regulation will address the unlawful fishing methods currently practiced in the study area. Keywords: Fishermen, fishing, assessmen