Current Status of Livelihood, Job Satisfaction and Well-being of inland Fishermen in Southern Benin

Описание: Current Status of Livelihood, Job Satisfaction and Well-being of inland Fishermen in Southern Benin
by Ben-Vital Kpanou, University of Abomey-Calavi (Benin) and University of Liège (Belgium)
In southern Benin, the majority of the populations of the communes of So-Ava, Aguégués, Comè, and Grand-Popo are professional fishermen, given the time they spend fishing in the large areas of water passing through these communes. The evolution of fishing through generations of the ever-growing population has undoubtedly led to changes in the ability of fishermen to meet their needs. Based on this hypothesis, this study attempts to establish a link between the livelihoods held by fishers and the job satisfaction and well-being of the fishers, to explain the motivations of fishers to remain in the activity. For this purpose, a stratified sample of 205 fishermen was interviewed with a structured questionnaire. The results show 4 categories of fishermen with different characteristics. The first category is composed of extensive subsistence fishermen (65%) and semi-intensive sedentary fishermen (35%) with relatively low livelihoods, but satisfied with their work and well-being as fishermen. In contrast, the fourth category is made up of sedentary intensive fishers (100%) with the highest livelihoods but dissatisfied with their work and welfare as fishers. These results raise the need to take into account the non-economic motivations of fishers in the design of inland fisheries governance arrangements.