Indigenous Knowledge of Fisher-Folks in Artisanal Fisheries and Utilization of Fish in Ondo State, Nigeria

There is a dearth of knowledge on the relevance of indigenous knowledge of fisher folks in artisanal fisheries and utilization of fish in Ondo State, Nigeria. The study therefore examined the socio-economic characteristics of fishefolks in Ondo State, fishing and processing technologies adopted, indigenous knowledge in utilization of fish as food and medicine, relationship between fish production and socio-economic characteristics of fishermen and women fish processor. The data was collected using a structured questionnaire administered to randomly sampled one hundred and fifty one fisher-folks in riverine and coastal fishing communities of three Agricultural Development Program (ADP) Zones, Ondo State. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, Analyses of Variance (ANOVA) and linear regression. Results showed that there was a significant difference (P<0.01) between fishermen taboos and socio- economic characteristics. Linear regression analysis revealed that there was also a significant difference between the income earned among the various groups of processors (P<0.05). Importance of fish in traditional healing, rituals, sacrifices, and the reasons for using them were documented. It was recommended that more research should be carried out with medical practitioners on the treatment of ailments using fish as cure.