Economics of Fish Marketing in Yenagoa Local Government Area, Bayelsa State, Nigeria

Abstract:

The study ascertained the socio-economic characteristics of fish marketers, determined the structure, efficiency of the fish marketers. It described the processing, storage, and transportation methods used in the study area, identified the constraints and made practical recommendations. The study adopted a survey research design with a sample size of 100 fish sellers. The study indicated that 36.1% of the respondents were in the age range of 31 – 40 years, while females, at 65.1%, dominated fish marketing in the study area. Most marketers, 56.6%, were married. 33.7% of the fish marketers’ monthly income was between N51, 000 – N100, 000, suggesting that fish marketing contributes significantly to their livelihood. The study identified high transportation costs, poor road networks, lack of cold storage facilities, price fluctuations, and inadequate government support as major constraints faced by fish marketers in the study area. The study recommends investments in construction and rehabilitation of feeder and market access roads to reduce transportation costs and minimize post-harvest losses during fish transportation. Financial institutions, and cooperative societies should provide soft loans and grants tailored to the needs of small-scale fish marketers.