Comparative technical efficiency analysis of regulated and unregulated natural lakes fisheries In Plateau State: stochastic frontier approach

Most natural lakes fisheries in Plateau State are “open access” with their fishing activities unregulated and only Pandam Lake fishing activities are regulated. This paper examines the comparative exploitation levels of regulated and unregulated fisheries through the estimates of technical efficiency of natural lakes artisanal fishers in Plateau state, with a view to examine the level of exploitation of fisheries as renewable resource in the country. Daily fishing observations made during catch assessment survey for 4 weeks and data collected through questionnaire from 20 fishers’ selected each from Polmakat, Shimankar, Deben, Janta and 30 fishers from regulated Pandam Lake. This gives a sample size of 110 respondents. A multi-stage sampling technique was used and the analysis by descriptive statistics and stochastic frontier production function model. The mean technical efficiency of unregulated and regulated fishers was 0.83 and 91.29 respectively. The unregulated analysis indicates that 68% of variation in the fishers output was as a result of the presence of technical inefficiency effect in the fishery. The regulated fishery show decreasing return to scale 0.123 and fishers were operating at stage II. At the unregulated fishery some observable variables relating to socioeconomics characteristics such as extension contact, age and educational status significantly explain technical efficiency. Transformation for effective and sustainable fisheries exploitation will need the involvement of educated fishers, extension education, and redefinition of property rights and constraining of inputs at regulated fishery.Keywords: fisheries, technical, efficiency, inefficiency, frontier, stochastic