Funmilayo Rasaki, 75, lives in a small brick house a few steps away from the seashore in Aiyetoro, a coastal community in the southern senatorial district of Ondo State. She had a small farm on which she cultivated crops adapted to the high tide of the sea in the area. She planted the crops in mounds that raised them above sea level and provided refuge for the crops. But all that stopped in 2019 when a sea surge swept through the community and left it in ruins.

“It became unsustainable. I couldn’t continue. I had tried all the possible solutions to ensure that my farm survived, but the flooding that year was worse than anything we had seen, so I had no choice but to give it up,” she said.

In Ondo State, communities along the Atlantic coast, such as Aiyetoro, have endured years of sea incursions caused by rising sea levels and intense storms, both effects of climate change. The impact ranges from displacements to continuous disruption of lives and properties.

The incursion has been recurring for over a decade but worsened in 2019. Since then the villagers began to adopt safer options. Mrs Rasaki switched to buying and selling fish.

Recurring sea incursion

Villagers along the Ondo coastline are predominantly fishers, most of them are engaged in fishing, aquaculture or fish trade.

However, due to the recurring sea floods, even more villagers are shifting towards the practice. But it is also a high-risk venture.

“Even those already established in fishing have been struggling since the sea surge worsened and have to find ways to ensure the safety of their business,” Fehintola Alebiosu, a 34-year-old fisherman in Aiyetoro who lost his fishing boat to a surge in 2022, said.

This was at a time the ocean surges had become more frequent. That day, he had left his fishing equipment by the shore alongside those of many others as they usually did, when the incursion came with heavy tides and submerged many boats.

“It dealt a devastating blow to me,” Mr Alebiosu said. “Sure, we have flooding every year, but that one stripped me of my equipment.”

Because many fishing equipment have been destroyed by the surge, most fishermen now work together on the sea. Those who have lost their fishing tools pair with those who still own equipment. A few others began to create ponds to culture fishes.

Mr Alebiosu works with Busayo Johnson, a middle-aged man who still has all his fishing tools.

Villagers use moon as a guide

Fishermen in Aiyetoro believe that a sea flood may occur a day after the appearance of a full moon, and a scarcity of seafood would follow. Thus, at the sight of a full moon, the locals begin to prepare for an incursion. Boats and canoes are moved from the lowland to higher ground, fishing gear and other tools are kept safe, fishing activities are suspended, and people stay indoors.

“If you are not well prepared, the water can destroy your work tools, properties and even your house,” Mr Johnson said.

The villagers rely on an age-old tradition of observing the moon’s phases to anticipate changes in sea tide and potential flooding. The tradition is supported by science.

According to a report by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the average tidal range of an ocean is larger, causing sea levels to rise more than usual.

The report noted that “the moon appears full, the gravitational pull of the sun is ‘added’ to the gravitational pull of the moon on earth, causing the oceans to bulge a bit more than usual.” Research has also shown that local geography, like low-lying areas such as found in Ondo coastlines, influences the severity of the surge.

But there are times when the sea level rises without the full moon. In these cases, the villagers observe the sea waves and torrents and monitor the flow of the water into the community.

“The sea encroaches without the moon, sometimes. And we just observe the sea level and waves,” Mr Johnson said. “But there are days when none of these is applicable, and one is hardly prepared for the flood.”

The hunt for seafood

Often, in the aftermath of a sea incursion, there’s a decline in the seafood available in the sea. This, according to the fishers, stifles the business.

But they are undeterred, and instead, venture farther many kilometres away from the coast in search of food. These trips are often made solo, but sometimes, the fishermen work as a group, relying on shared information about the state of the sea.

“After a surge, we must move far away from the shore, that’s the only option because there’s nothing around the coast,” said Kola Ayeni, a fisherman at Abekere, another coastal community in Ondo.

Ebenezer Atibere, also a fisherman, explained: “We spend hours on the boat, venturing deep into the sea. The farther we go, the better our chances of a good catch, ensuring we have enough fish to sell.”

But as rewarding as this effort can be, Mr Atibere said it is often a risk. Fishermen are likely to incur more losses because the trips are sometimes fruitless.

“We can ride as far as we want and still find nothing, and this happens very often. Fueling the fishing boats for this trip costs N150,000, and when we return with nothing this is our loss,” he said.

To address these issues, Musa Tanko, a professor, meteorologist and climate analyst, advises the fishers to use the daily marine forecast provided by the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMET), to get a more accurate prediction of the tides and state of the large water body.

According to Mr Tanko, who works as a meteorologist with NiMET, the agency has models that provide forecasts about sea tides, which would be useful to the coastal communities.

He advised fishing communities to always contact NiMET for information relating to the sea.

He said the marine forecast provided by the NiMET would serve as a daily guide, regulating the activity of the fishermen on the sea and the communities as a whole.

Fish farmers try to cut losses

Fish farmers are also faced with the adversity of loss of fish from flooded ponds. The ponds used by the farmers are mainly natural and, in many cases, are destroyed or emptied by sea-flood.

According to a fish farmer, as the surge recedes, it sweeps the fish from the ponds into the sea, and the heavier the surge, the higher the loss incurred.

To protect his ponds, Ayanfe Alabi, a 50-year-old fish farmer in Aiyetoro, uses nets to keep the fish from being swept away during a sea flood.

The net is spread across the surface of the ponds and held up by sticks planted in the pond to keep the net firm and protect it against the wind.

But its effect is limited. Fish farmers in the community said this measure is only effective when the surge is not intense.

However, Daniel Diyaolu, a fishery and aquaculture researcher, said ponds should be constructed in seasons when heavy sea incursions are less likely to occur.

“It is best that they don’t stock the ponds when the tides are likely to be high, and the flooding more intense, especially during the rainy season,” the researcher, who works at Olusegun Agagu University of Science and Technology, Okitipupa, Ondo State (OAUSTECH), said.

“This is a form of citizen science, as the residents of these areas have fundamental knowledge of the terrain better than those simply studying it, so they will be able to identify when the flooding is likely to come and they don’t stock during this period. Or make the harvest time fall ahead of the incursion.

“They also need to use strong nets that can protect the fishes from any external encroachment, not just the sea, but also other animals because once that exists, the sea is likely to get easier access,” Mr Diyaolu said.

Experts call for diversification

Mr Diyaolu also advised the villagers to focus more on aquaculture instead of relying on catching fish from the wild. He said fishing communities can grow fish that can survive close to the shore despite the rising tides.

According to him, this attempt could also be aided by scientific research, making it easier to identify the species of fish likely to survive close to the coastline.

“If there is a way, the seawater can be used to culture fishes instead of running after the fishes in the sea. They can use the water closer to the coast to groom species of fish that can survive there.

“They should focus on identifying fishes that can survive close to the coast and raising them. Those species would always be available to them irrespective of the tide,” the researcher said.

Similarly, Ikuesan Bamijoko, an aquaculturist who also works at OAUTECH, advised the fishing community to diversify and practise other forms of agriculture in neighbouring communities not prone to flooding.

“Residents of communities prone to flooding can visit other communities that are not threatened by the sea surge and practise other means of agriculture. They can move westwards to nearby communities and pursue palm oil production, poultry, and fish farming on a larger scale and other cash crops.”

Mr Bamijoko also urged the government to protect the shoreline using rocks as developed countries do to mitigate sea incursion in coastal areas.

Why government intervention is necessary

Efforts to speak with the director of fishery at the Ondo State Ministry of Agriculture, Iyabo Olaleye, were unsuccessful, as she was absent both times this reporter visited the Ministry of Agriculture. She also did not respond to phone calls or the text sent to her phone.

But, the Director of Agriculture Extension, Ondo State Agriculture Development Project (OSADP), Amuwa Williams, when contacted, said villagers interested in farming can use mobile planting containers, such as plastic bags, to allow them to quickly and easily move their crops to safety in the event of an incursion.

He said that type of farming is suitable for the cultivation of vegetables and would allow the villagers to protect their farms effectively from the surge.

However, he acknowledged that government’s response to the crisis has been insufficient, adding that a lack of funds has also hindered significant intervention by his agency.

He said the government needs to intervene to resolve the crisis and protect residents of affected communities.

“The devastation in that area is monumental and the intervention of the state and federal government is mandatory, probably using ecological funds. I believe the embarkment of the coastline would significantly curb the sea incursion in affected communities. Dredging of the sea could also reduce the incursion of the sea into residential areas,” he said.

According to Desmond Majekodunmi, a climate change activist, the authorities need to act fast, or else the communities on the coastline will be wiped out.

He said the sea surge, caused by climate change resulting from global warming, would only worsen, devastating coastal communities further.

READ ALSO: SPECIAL REPORT: Fishermen lament as Climate Change disrupts Argungu Fishing Festival

“In the past, the sea surge was seasonal, but because of global warming which is causing climate change, we are now having an unprecedented sea surge that is flooding low-lying coastal areas in Nigeria. The sea surge in Ondo is likely to get increasingly worse, and this is a big problem.”

Mr Majekodunmi said while these communities continue to make local efforts to ensure their survival, government intervention is essential.

“This report was sponsored by the Centre for Journalism Innovation and Development, with funding support from the Public Diplomacy Section of the U.S. Embassy, Abuja.”