Social factors explaining poor fishing practices on Buyo Lake in N'zo Partial Wildlife Reserve, Côte d’Ivoire

Abstract

The Buyo lake, which is the result of Buyo hydroelectric dam, is exploited by the local population for fishing. However, fishermen use non- regulatory fishing gear and techniques that destroy fish stock, leading to a depletion of the lake's fisheries resource. This study aimed at understanding the social factors that explain the use of non-regulatory fishing tools and techniques by fishermen. Social data and data relating to fishing practices were collected from 109 fishermen of Buyo lake in 3 fishermen camps, namely PK15, PK28, and Derra. Statistical analysis of the data showed that young fishermen are the most numerous and represent a proportion of 58.75% of this population. The years of experience of the fishermen vary from 2 years to 40 years with an average of 19.3 years. The majority of fishermen are illiterate, that is 86.24%. Fishing was the main economic activity for 96.33% of the fishermen. The fishermen visited Buyo lake daily for fishing. The majority of fishermen (92.66%) acknowledged a decline in the fishery resource in Buyo lake. The results also showed that the poor fishing practices adopted by the fishermen can be explained by the age of the fishermen and their years of experience of the fishermen.