Sources and resolution of conflicts in Nigerian artisanal fisheries

Abstract

The increasing dependence on fisheries as a source of livelihood in the maritime states of Nigeria has been associated with intensive management of available resources and an upsurge of contestation of ownership and use rights. In Ondo and Rivers States, infringements on the rights of ownership and use and violation of resource management rules have been the major sources of conflict associated with the artisanal fisheries. It has been possible to resolve the emerging conflicts through non‐adjudicatory approaches such as negotiation, mediation, and arbitration. In these approaches the organization of conflict resolution is informal and the operational rules are clear, reconciliatory, and easily comprehensible. The strength and resilience of the approaches lie in the cohesiveness of the social, kinship, linguistic, and cultural interconnections among the owners and users of the fishing grounds. Usually, the resolution of conflict is accomplished speedily and openly and the process is relatively inexpensive.