The Socio-economic Impact of Climate Change on Marine and Freshwater Fisheries Resources in the Coastal Zone of the Gambia

Abstract

The fisheries sector is a vital source of overseas exchange and income for the financial and social advancement needs in most part of the world. However, challenges like the low level of research and education on the prospects of this sector to front-runners, business-oriented financiers across the Sub-region has contributed to low investment and development of this sector. Giving the prospects this sector presents, Climate Change (CC) impacts may compromise the Coastal Zone's (CZ) ability to deliver benefits derived from fisheries resources. This study seeks to characterize the trend of artisanal and industrial fisheries catches in The Gambia from 1986-2016 with projected trends to the year 2025. The study will further estimate the effects of climate change on the productivity of fisheries resources in River Gambia and; estimate the effects of climate change on shrimp yield on the sheltered coast of The Gambia to the year 2100. The results of the study reveal industrial fishery catches is decreasing at 534 MT annually over the period 1968- 2014. This observed negative trend is predicted to decrease from 4,770 MT in 2014 to 66.7 MT by the year 2025. The artisanal fisheries sector, contrariwise, revealed a positive trend of 1,611 MT per annum from 1986-2016. It is predicted this trend will increase from 58,261.6 MT in 2016 to 70,651.8 MT by the year 2025; this relates to an increase of approximately 21%. By the year 2100, there will be a potential increase of sustainable shrimp yield in The Gambia by 46%, while the productivity of the River Gambia in support of fisheries resources will increase by 13%. This result reveals that by the end of this century, The Gambia maritime space, and its river framework, will continue to be productive in the support of shrimp and other artisanal fisheries resources under the anticipated impacts of CC on the CZ.