Adult Education and Environmental Awareness Among Artisanal Fishermen in Bayelsa State

This study investigates the relationship between adult education exposure and environmental awareness among artisanal fishermen in Bayelsa State, South South Nigeria. The Niger Delta's ecosystem is severely degraded by oil pollution, deforestation, and unsustainable fishing practices, making environmental literacy a critical development priority for fishing communities. Artisanal fishermen, who depend directly on the health of the ecosystem, are among the most affected but least literate populations in the region. This study uses a descriptive survey design, collecting data from 185 artisanal fishermen in Yenagoa, Southern Ijaw, and Sagbama local government areas with varying levels of adult education exposure. Environmental awareness is assessed across dimensions of pollution impact knowledge, sustainable fishing practices, rights-based environmental advocacy, and climate change awareness. Descriptive statistics and analysis of variance are applied. Findings reveal significant positive associations between adult education level and environmental awareness scores across all dimensions measured. Fishermen who participated in adult education programmes with environmental literacy content demonstrate particularly strong knowledge of fishing rights, oil spill impact, and community complaint mechanisms. The study concludes that adult education with environmental content meaningfully improves environmental awareness among Bayelsa State fishermen. It recommends that the Bayelsa State adult education system develop contextually tailored environmental literacy modules for fishing communities and partner with the National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency for content development.

Keywords: environmental education, adult education, artisanal fishermen, Bayelsa State, Niger Delta.