ASSESSING THE EFFECTS OF POTENTIAL CLIMATE CHANGE ON FISHERIES OF RIVER ZUNGERU, NIGER STATE NIGERIA

Abstract

It is apparent that fisheries have always been affected by variable climate of which temperature and rainfall play the most important role. Fishes have generally evolved physiologically to live within a specific environmental variation and existence outside this range can be stressful or fatal. Extreme environmental factors such as elevated water temperature can have deleterious effects on fishes. This research was carried out to assess the potential effects of climate change on fisheries of River Zungeru, Niger State. The methodology used in data collection for this research includes cross-sectional survey with a number of qualitative methods involved. This includes focus group discussion and in depth interview administered by the researcher. The secondary data on rainfall and temperature was gotten from Nigerian metrological agency (NIMET) Niger State. These were presented in tables, graphs and themes. The study reveals that the temperature is increasing, while the amount and number of rain days is dropping. These increasing temperatures causes fish mortality particularly during dry season when the temperature is at peak couple with shocks from the large number of electric fish which happens to be one of the dominant in the river. It also shows a decrease in number of catch and biodiversity of the River due to overfishing, as well as the effect of damming downstream. Moreover, the study discovers that most of the fisher folks are traditionalist which limits their knowledge and understanding of climate change.