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Natural‐resource institutions and property rights in inland African fisheries: The case of the Lake Chad Basin region

C. Béné (Centre for the Economics and Management of Aquatic Resources, University of Portsmouth, Portsmouth, UK)
A. Neiland (Centre for the Economics and Management of Aquatic Resources, University of Portsmouth, Portsmouth, UK)
T. Jolley (Centre for the Economics and Management of Aquatic Resources, University of Portsmouth, Portsmouth, UK)
B. Ladu (National Institute for Fresh Water Fisheries Research, New‐Bussa, Maiduguri, Nigeria)
S. Ovie (National Institute for Fresh Water Fisheries Research, New‐Bussa, Maiduguri, Nigeria)
O. Sule (National Institute for Fresh Water Fisheries Research, New‐Bussa, Maiduguri, Nigeria)
M. Baba (Ministry of Livestock, Fisheries and Animal Industries, Douala, Maroua, Cameroon)
E. Belal (Ministry of Livestock, Fisheries and Animal Industries, Douala, Maroua, Cameroon)
K. Mindjimba (Ministry of Livestock, Fisheries and Animal Industries, Douala, Maroua, Cameroon)
F. Tiotsop (Ministry of Livestock, Fisheries and Animal Industries, Douala, Maroua, Cameroon)
L. Dara (Ministry of Environment and Water Direction of Fisheries and Aquaculture, N'djamena, Chad)
A. Zakara (Lake Chad Basin Commission, N'djamena, Chad)
J. Quensiere (Institute for Research and Development, Dakar, Senegal)

International Journal of Social Economics

ISSN: 0306-8293

Article publication date: 1 March 2003

996

Abstract

Although there exists a rich literature on fisheries traditional management systems in North and South America, Caribbean, Asia and Pacific islands, much less information is available on inland African fisheries. Presents the first regional‐scale survey of traditional management systems operated within the Lake Chad Basin. The survey focused on the status and organization of the local (de facto) management systems and their interactions with the modern (de jure) regulations. The results show that fishing activities within the whole Basin are still largely under the control of the traditional local authorities. The few open‐access fishing grounds are areas that traditional authorities have never controlled or water‐bodies that they have had to “give up” in recent times due to the presence of armed groups. These areas are also areas where illegal taxation systems operated by non‐legitimated governement agents have developed, essentially as a consequence of the remoteness and political instability of the whole Basin.

Keywords

Citation

Béné, C., Neiland, A., Jolley, T., Ladu, B., Ovie, S., Sule, O., Baba, M., Belal, E., Mindjimba, K., Tiotsop, F., Dara, L., Zakara, A. and Quensiere, J. (2003), "Natural‐resource institutions and property rights in inland African fisheries: The case of the Lake Chad Basin region", International Journal of Social Economics, Vol. 30 No. 3, pp. 275-301. https://doi.org/10.1108/03068290310460161

Publisher

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MCB UP Ltd

Copyright © 2003, MCB UP Limited

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