World Aquaculture Magazine - March 2021

WWW.WA S .ORG • WORLD AQUACULTURE • MARCH 2021 59 ( C O N T I N U E D O N P A G E 6 0 ) TABLE 1. Socio-economic characteristics of respondents. Var i ab l e s Fr equenc y Pe r c en t age Sex Male Female Age classification <21 21-30 31-40 41-50 51-60 >60 Educational status No formal education Primary education Secondary level Tertiary level Adult education Marital status Single Married Divorced Widowed Household size 1-5 6-10 11-15 >15 Religion classification Christian Muslim Traditional Ethnic group Yoruba Igbo Hausa Others (Ebira) Marketing experience (years) 1-5 6-10 11-15 16-20 >20 Primary occupation Fish production and marketing Artisan Civil service Animal production (ruminant and non-ruminant animals) Business/Trading Secondary occupation Fish production and marketing Artisan Crop production Animal production (ruminant and non-ruminant animals) Business/Trading No secondary occupation 49 56 7 23 59 11 3 2 8 13 21 58 5 24 79 2 0 91 8 4 2 96 9 0 98 5 2 0 49 26 13 13 4 58 21 17 6 3 68 8 3 9 9 8 46.7 53.3 6.7 21.9 56.2 10.5 2.9 1.9 7.6 12.4 20.0 55.2 4.8 22.9 75.2 1.9 0 86.7 7.6 3.8 1.9 91.4 8.6 0 93.3 4.8 1.9 0 46.7 24.8 12.4 12.4 3.8 55.2 20.0 16.2 5.7 2.9 64.8 2.1 1.4 8.6 8.6 7.6 regression was used to determine the factors influencing the income of fish marketers and a Likert Rating Scale was used to analyze the constraints on fish marketing system in the study area. Socio-economic Characteristics of Respondents Men and women were involved in fish marketing activities in almost equal proportion (Table 1). The age of more than half of all respondents was between 31 and 40 years. This age group constitutes the major productive workforce and these relatively young individuals have more potential to withstand stress, strain, and risk and have more strength to face tedious tasks associated with fish marketing than younger or older individuals (Oyinbo and Rekwot 2013, Esiobu et al . 2014b). More than half of respondents were educated to a tertiary (university or trade school) level. The higher level of educational attainment of the respondents in southwestern Nigeria positively influences marketing activities (Madugu and Edward 2011). About ¾ of respondents were married and the greatest share of respondents had 1-5 people in their household. The tendency towards small household size in the study area is likely correlated with the relatively high level of educational attainment of respondents and their corresponding awareness of family planning measures. Respondents were overwhelmingly Christian and of Yoruba ethnicity. Slightly less than half of respondents had 1-5 years of fish marketing experience, indicating a relatively low level of experience. Respondents had an average of eight years of experience. More than half of respondents were primarily fish marketers, implying that fish marketing in the study area contributed a substantial proportion of respondent’s income. Most (65 percent) respondents had fish marketing as a secondary occupation. Technical Characteristics of Fish Marketing Activities A high proportion of respondents obtained stock within the study area while only 20 percent of respondents bought fish outside the study area (Lagos, Ibadan, Ilesha, Igbokoda; Table 2). Fish marketers obtaining fish products within the state enjoy advantages like lower transportation cost, reduced perishability, curtailed road mishaps and prevention of all sundry expenses. Bus/taxi/lorry and motorcycle were the predominant methods of transporting fish by fish marketers. Most fish marketers sell fish at markets but some sell fish directly at the pond. Nearly all respondents sell fish daily. Markets in the study area are very active and function to satisfy both daily market supply and consumer demand. Most respondents (91 percent) indicated that fish markets were increasing, indicating increased demand. Most fish marketers sell frozen, smoked and fresh fish while a few marketers sell fried fish (Table 3). Refrigeration and smoking are the major ways of preservation and processing in the study area. Furthermore, 49 percent of respondents marketed farmed catfish and tilapia and 46 percent of respondents marketed captured (wild) fish. Most fish marketers determined selling price based on marketing cost and desired returns or profit (Table 4). Most fish marketers seek market information through personal contact and interactions with each other while 15 percent interacted through phone calls. Nearly all respondents made use of open display and personal persuasion to attract customers. Most sellers of agricultural products use these methods to draw the attention of consumers (Afolabi 2004). About half of respondents used price discounts as