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

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 crossing those communes. The evolution of fishing across generations of the ever-growing population has undoubtedly led to changes in the ability of fishermen to meet sustainably 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 latter, to explain their motivations to remain in the industry. For this purpose, a stratified sample of 205 fishermen was interviewed using a structured questionnaire. The results show 4 categories of fishermen with different characteristics. The first category comprises extensive subsistence fishermen (65%) and semi-intensive sedentary fishermen (35%) with relatively low livelihoods but satisfied with their work and well-being as fishermen. On the other side, 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 consider the non-economic motivations of fishers in the design of inland fisheries governance arrangements.