Analysis of Information Needs and Accessibility among Artisanal Fishermen in Benue State, Nigeria

The study analyzed the information needs and accessibility of artisanal fisher folk in Benue State, Nigeria. Multistage sampling technique was used to select two fishing communities from each of the three agro-ecological zones in the study area. A structured questionnaire was used to collect primary data from 222 respondents. Descriptive statistics showed that artisanal fisher folk were mostly married male adults with low level of formal education, low income, and low use of modern technologies. The chi-square test revealed that there was a significant relationship between access to needed information and the output of the artisanal fisher folk at 1% level of significance. Logit regression test revealed that age, education and household size had significant effect on fisher folk access to needed fisheries information. Important areas of information need of the fisher folk were, sources of micro credit, modern fish capture methods and aqua-culture. It was recommended that adequate fisheries extension services should be provided in the fishing communities.