title: Sand dredging and environmental efficiency of artisanal fishermen in Lagos state, Nigeria.
abstract: Environmentally detrimental input (water turbidity) and conventional production inputs were considered within the framework of stochastic frontier analysis to estimate technical and environmental efficiencies of fishermen in sand dredging and non-dredging areas. Environmental efficiency was low among fishermen in the sand dredging areas. Educational status and experience in fishing and sand dredging were the factors influencing environmental efficiency in the sand dredging areas. Average quantity of fish caught per labour- hour was higher among fishermen in the non-dredging areas. Fishermen in the fishing community around the dredging areas travelled long distance in order to reduce the negative effect of sand dredging on their fishing activity. The study affirmed large household size among fishermen. The need to regulate the activities of sand dredgers by restricting license for sand dredging to non-fishing communities as well as intensifying family planning campaign in fishing communities to reduce the negative effect of high household size on fishing is imperative for the sustainability of artisanal fishing.
authors.affiliation: Department of Agricultural Economics, University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Nigeria. fa.sowunmi@mail.ui.edu.ng.
authors.forename: Fatai A
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0003-4108-8830
authors.initials: FA
authors.lastname: Sowunmi
authors.affiliation: Department of Environmental Science, College of Science, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana. jhogarh@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Jonathan N
authors.initials: JN
authors.lastname: Hogarh
authors.affiliation: Department of Agricultural Economics, Osun State University, Osun, Nigeria. oagbola@uniosun.edu.ng.
authors.forename: Peter O
authors.initials: PO
authors.lastname: Agbola
authors.affiliation: United Nations University-Institute for Natural Resources in Africa, Accra, Ghana. atewamba@unu.edu.
authors.forename: Calvin
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Atewamba
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D003247:Conservation of Natural Resources; D004784:Environmental Monitoring; D005398:Fisheries / Q000379:methods*; D005399:Fishes; D009549:Nigeria
keywords: Detrimental input; Environmental efficiency; Nigeria; Sand dredging; Stochastic frontier