Fish Behavioural Communications Skills Need of Farmers for ProfitableFish Production in Akwa Ibom State

Abstract

This study determined fish behavioural communication skills need of farmers for profitable fish production in AkwaIbom State. The descriptive survey design was used for the study. Five specific objectives, research questions and hypotheses respectively guided the study.  Two hundred and thirty-nine (239) registered fish farmers and fifty-three (53) fish extension agents formed the population of the study. The sample size of 292 respondents comprising 239 registered farmers and 53 extension agents were used in the study. The instruments used for data collection was a structured questionnaire titled “Fish Behavioural Communication Skills Need of Farmers Questionnaire” (FBCSNFQ) and Fish Behaviuoral Communication Preferred Skills of Farmers Questionnaire (FIBCPSFQ). The two instrument were necessary to establish the need gap in the study. The instruments were face validated by three experts, two from the Department of Agricultural Education and one from the Department of Guidance and Counselling unit Educational foundation in the university of Uyo. The reliability of the instrument was obtained using the Cronbach Alpha Technique and the result yielded a reliability co-efficient of 0.82. Mean and improvement need index (INI) were used in answering the research questions while the hypotheses were tested using the t-test analysis. The findings of the study among others showed that fish aggression behavioural communication skills and fish erratic swimming behavioural skills are needed by farmers for profitable fish production in AkwaIbom State. Also, there was a significant different in the mean response between fish farmers and extension agents on fish behavioural communication skills need of farmer for profitable fish production in AkwaIbom State. It was therefore recommended among others that the department of fisheries, ministry of Agriculture, Akwa Ibom State should integrate the identification of fish behavioural communication skills into their vocational trainings programmes in other to educate both fish farmers and extension agents to ensure profitable fish production in the state. Also, Agricultural Education Department in higher institution in the state should include fish behavioural communication skills in their curriculum to ensure that students can acquire relevant knowledge and skills in detecting fish behavioural communication.