摘要：There has been increasing concerns from various stakeholders of the fishing industry, principally fishing communities about series of impacts introduced by the oil exploration, discovery, development and extraction. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the existing and potential impacts of the oil exploration on representative fishing communities by sampling their perceptions to assess the existing and likely impacts of oil and gas industry activities on the livelihood of the people. Representative fishing communities closer to the offshore operations were selected for the study. Questionnaires were administered to obtain responses about their perceptions and expectations on the existing oil project on their lives. The results of the questionnaires were subjected to quantitative and qualitative analysis and interpreted. The findings revealed the perceptions and expectations of the coastal communities about the likely impacts of the oil and gas exploration on them; it brings the concerns of these people to the attention of policy makers and institutions to appreciate the plight of the fishermen and propose mitigation measures to minimize the negative impact of the oil and gas industry on fishing.
