Use of Mobile Phone in Fisheries Profession: A Perspective of the Fishermen of the Indus Delta

Use of Mobile Phone in Fisheries Profession: A Perspective of the Fishermen of the Indus Delta Abstract The ICTs including mobile phones are providing a boost to the economic activities in the rural areas of the developing world. In this context, this study was conducted to assess the economic benefits of the mobile phone usages by the fishermen of the Indus Delta region of Pakistan. The study is based on the perception of the fishermen who were actively involved in catching and marketing fish. This research covers the opinion of the fishermen community of the Indus Delta about the role of cell phones in increasing their income, and minimizing the transport-related expenditure, the role of middleman in the marketing of fish products, and the wastage of fish catch. A cross-sectional survey was conducted for this study and two hundred fishermen living in the deltaic districts of Thatta and Badin were purposively selected as respondents for this study. According to the results of the study, the majority of the fishermen acknowledged positive impact of the mobile phone usages in the fisheries profession. The findings of this study will contribute in terms of furthering our understanding of the use of the mobile phone technology in the advancement of the fisheries sector, poverty alleviation and economic development in the coastal region of Pakistan