A Theoretical Framework for Integrating Traditional Ecological Knowledge into Formal Fisheries Management in Northern Nigeria

Traditional ecological knowledge held by fishing communities in northern Nigeria represents a centuries-old empirical record of fish population dynamics, habitat characteristics, and seasonal resource use patterns that is systematically excluded from formal fisheries management decision-making, despite its demonstrated predictive validity in comparable contexts globally. This study develops an original theoretical framework for the structured integration of traditional ecological knowledge into formal fisheries management in the Lake Chad and Niger River basin contexts of North West and North East Nigeria. The framework, designated the Structured Knowledge Integration for Adaptive Fisheries Management model, draws on science and technology studies, knowledge co-production theory, and adaptive management principles to define the processes, institutional arrangements, and validity assessment methods required for legitimate traditional ecological knowledge incorporation. Framework development was grounded in 24 months of ethnographic data collection with fishing communities in Borno, Sokoto, and Kebbi States, generating a systematic inventory of 418 distinct traditional ecological knowledge elements covering species ecology, migration patterns, habitat preferences, spawning seasons, and environmental indicators. These elements were cross-validated against available scientific fish ecology data where overlapping information existed, yielding 74% corroboration of traditional ecological knowledge claims by scientific evidence where testable. The study identifies 89 traditional ecological knowledge elements with potential direct management applications that have no scientific equivalent, representing genuine additions to formal management knowledge. The framework provides a replicable methodology for fisheries agencies in northern Nigeria to institutionalise traditional ecological knowledge integration in management planning cycles.

Keywords: traditional ecological knowledge, fisheries management, knowledge co-production, northern Nigeria, adaptive management