Community-Based Fisheries Co-Management in the Lake Chad Basin: Lessons from Yobe State

Declining fisheries productivity in the Lake Chad Basin demands innovative governance approaches that integrate scientific management with local ecological knowledge and community institutional capacity. This study evaluated the structure, effectiveness, and challenges of community-based fisheries co-management arrangements in the Lake Chad fisheries of Yobe State, North East Nigeria. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews with 112 fishers, focus group discussions with community fishing associations, and key informant interviews with state fisheries officers. Fishery performance was assessed using trends in catch per unit effort, species diversity index, and compliance rates over a five-year period from 2019 to 2024. Analysis of formal and informal co-management rules was conducted through institutional analysis frameworks. Results showed that communities with formally organised co-management structures achieved 31 percent higher catch per unit effort compared to communities without such arrangements. Compliance with closed season regulations was significantly higher in villages with functioning community fish guards. However, co-management effectiveness was constrained by poor delineation of jurisdictional boundaries, inadequate financial support from government agencies, and recurrent security disruptions in the Lake Chad Basin. Elite capture of co-management institutions was documented in two of six communities studied. Gender participation was low, with women comprising only 12 percent of committee membership despite constituting the majority of fish processors. The study recommends formalisation of co-management agreements through state legislation, conflict resolution mechanisms, and targeted capacity building for women's participation. Keywords: co-management, Lake Chad fisheries, Yobe State, community governance, North East Nigeria.