Fishing and farming at Lake Chad: Overcapitalisation, opportunities and fisheries management

Overcapitalisation is one way in which fishing is said to exert a negative externality on the wider economy. Resources invested in fishing could be invested more productively in other sectors of the economy. The logical solution is the shift of resources, in particular scarce capital, from fishing to more profitable sectors. This paper examines the rural economy at Lake Chad and the implications from the results of a socio-economic survey of fishing households for potential fisheries management measures, in particular those which would limit or reduce the level of resources invested in the Lake's fishery. Survey results demonstrate a close link between the farming and fishing activities of many households and suggest that the integration of fishing and farming necessitate consideration of the inter-sectoral impacts of potential fisheries management measures. (C) 1996 Academic Press Limited