Contributions Of Seasonal Migrants Fishermen Towards Fishing Activities In Baga, Kukawa Local Government Of Borno State, Nigeria

Abstract

Seasonal migration is a short-term, repetitive or cyclical movement of people from one geographical location to another for the purpose of improving the economic position of their household. It is influenced by "Push" factors (food shortage, poverty etc) and "Pull" factors (better income, job, food supply etc) which make them to move from their area of origin to a more lucrative environment. Seasonal migration to Baga area is not a new phenomenon, people from neighbouring countries and part of the country come in for fishing and farming activities. This study sought to identify the reason for migration to and from the study area, the contributions of each migrant to fishing activities and identify the categories of the migrants. A total number of 80 respondents were interviewed, twenty from each community of which fifteen were seasonal migrants and five were permanent resident fishermen in the study area. The findings revealed that the seasonal migrant fishermen pattern of migration is not uniform. However, majority of the migrant came to the study area in the month of August and leave in the month of January. The research revealed that 75% of the respondents claimed that the major push factor for their migration from their states of origin is due to the seasonality nature of fish availability in their local rivers, while the pull factors of migration to the study area as stated by 95% of the migrants was the abundance of fish in the Lake Chad basin. Measures should be taken towards resuscitating the disappearing Lake Chad which serves as the pull factor of the migrants to the area.