A study on credibility of information sources used by artisanal fishers in selected coastal states of Nigeria was carried out between January 2018 and December 2018. The study focused on Bayelsa, Rivers and Akwa Ibom states, Nigeria in West Africa. Data was obtained from primary sources using questionnaire. Descriptive and inferential statistical analysis was employed. The result indicates that majority of the artisanal fishers were male (79.90%) and 43% of the fishers falls within the age bracket of between 41-50 years. About 5.2% have been engaged in fishing activities for the past 15 years and above, while 88% of the artisanal fishers had one form of education or the other. Majority of artisanal fishers (55%) earn monthly income of between ₦11,000-₦50,000 ($30-$130). The low income earned by fishers have negative effect on their livelihood. The most credible sources of information was: Fishers groups (75%), credit agencies (66.5%), output buyers (55.2%) and cell phones (50.9%). From the study, it is obvious that artisanal fishers need credible information in nearly all the coastal areas of Nigeria to improve the fishing industry which could eventually improve their livelihood.

The purpose of this study is to find out consumers preference between farmed catfish and wild catfish in Swali inYenegoa, Bayelsa State. Questionnaire was designed with both opened and closed ended questions and distributed randomly to participants. Descriptive statistics, percentage and t-test was use to analyze the information. The results showed that there was no significant difference between farmed catfish respondents and wild caught catfish respondents. The people ate catfish every week because of the taste, flavour and texture. Farmed catfish respodents preferred the dried catfish while wild catfish repondents preferred the fresh catfish.Wild catfish were preferred by females and the Ijaw tribe. Respondants never considered nutritional value of the catfish. Nutritionally, wild catfish contains more omega 3 fatty acid while the farmed contained more omega 6 fatty acid dangerous to the health. It is therefore advisable to consume farmed catfish in moderation.

A mass-balance model was constructed using EwE version 6.4 aimed at identifying the keystone species and possible impact of artisanal fishing in Ekperiama in the Niger Delta. Data collected between January 2014 and December 2014 from landings of artisanal fishers operating around the area were then analyzed. The model was constructed with a detritus group, a primary producer, a secondary producer, five invertebrates and sixteen fish groups. Pedigree index estimated was 0.51. Total biomass (excluding detritus) of the modeled ecosystem for the whole area was 4.581tonkm -2 . Mean trophic level for the total catch estimated was 2.56. Keystoneness index were highest for catfish (KS = 0.80) and ray (KS = 0.64) and had the highest relative total impact high lighting their importance in the ecosystem structure. Phytoplankton and zooplankton showed high keystoneness (KS = 0.81 and KS = 0.61) indicating their importance as prey diet in the food web. Gross efficiency (GE) was 0.004 as compared to the global average 0.0002 suggest an ecosystem impacted by fishing activities. Gill net had more negative effect on the fisheries than other gears. Mixed trophic impact routine showed that species that play important role in the ecosystem had the highest negative impact from artisanal fishing. Hence should be considered a priority in management programmes.