West African Fisheries Research Articles

Expanding ocean observation and climate services to build resilience in West African fisheries

The Canary Current is a potential hotspot for climate change impacts on the oceans where 63 million people depend upon marine resources for national economies and livelihoods. Their unique vulnerability highlights the key roles of climate services and capacity building in order to develop effective adaptation measures. The Canary Current is a potential hotspot for climate change impacts on the oceans where 63 million people depend upon marine resources for national economies and livelihoods. Their unique vulnerability highlights the key roles of climate services and capacity building in order to develop effective adaptation measures.

Modeling the impacts of floating seaweeds on fisheries sustainability in Ghana

The ongoing Sargassum invasions in the Atlantic Ocean present both opportunities and threats to open-access fisheries. Due to the lack of entry and harvest regulations, West African fisheries are on the verge of collapse. Floating seaweeds can help rebuild fish stocks by enhancing fish growth and naturally reducing harvest by impeding fishing boats and gears. However, in high volumes, floating seaweeds can harm fish stocks and reduce landings. To improve fisheries sustainability, a policy prescribing the periodic removal of seaweeds should be anchored on a thorough understanding of the trade-offs between different levels of seaweed removal. We developed an agent-based model (ABM) to identify the optimal seaweed removal policy capable of maximizing fish stocks and landings in the long-term in Ghana’s marine fishery. Our policy experiments suggest that, by leaving behind 25% of relative seaweed biomass (i.e. seaweed biomass expressed as a percentage of carrying capacity) in each fishing zone every week after seaweed removal, fishery managers can take advantage of floating seaweeds to naturally regulate fishing mortality and maximize fish stocks and landings in the long-term. Our ABM can assist scientists interested in studying the long-term interactions between floating seaweeds and fisheries sustainability, and help fishery managers understand the potential of floating seaweeds to naturally regulate fishing pressure in developing countries where the lack of adequate employment opportunities outside fishing makes it difficult to address overfishing. Our ABM can also assist countries struggling with seaweed invasions to assess the impacts of different seaweed removal strategies on fisheries sustainability.

Total admissible catches and experimental fishing quotas in the pink lobster (Palinurus mauritanicus, Gruvel 1911) : a new opportunity for economic development in West Africa ?

Over the last thirty years, the poor state of certain fish stocks in the Large Marine Ecosystem of the Canary Current gradually revealed the limits of the West African fisheries management. The Ecosystem Approach advocated in Mauritania, calls to change the perception of fisheries management to incorporate participatory management considerations total admissible catches (TACs) and fishing quotas. An experiment around, a total allowable capture of 800 tons of pink lobster (Palinurus mauritanicus) is at the heart of this approach using methodological tools of analysis / assessment of the economic performance of crawfish exploratory fishery. Survey results show that during the period from February 2015 to January 2016, the fishery was based on a total of 23 vessels. 52% is held by Mauritanian and the rest is chartered with European (EU) ship owners. The capture of the Mauritanian fishery is significantly higher than that of the European Union, respectively 393 tons against 390 tons. 98% of the overall production volume is in live lobsters, mainly for the European market. This production generated sales of 4.26 billion MRO Affairs. Overall, experimental rock lobster industry is an important macroeconomic activity. The Turnover (CA) represents approximately 5% of revenue from exports of the Mauritanian Fish Marketing Company in 2015 (US $ 268 million) and 13% of fishing GDP in 2014 (33.47 billion MRO, BCM 2015). Over two thirds of this amount (3.62 billion MRO) is generated by the (VA) Added Value 85% of turnover. The VA created by Mauritanian operators is 10% more than the VA created by European operators. The Fixed Annual Costs and the Estimated Gross Excess (FACEGE) represents 1.3 MRO billion or 32% of sales. More than half (MRO 896.6 million) in FACEGE is generated by Mauritanian. Experimental lobster industry creates 557 direct and indirect jobs. These jobs represent 10% of the industrial fishing jobs, globally estimated at 3764 Live 2014. It is estimated that the Mauritanian segment creates 25% more jobs than the European segment. This assessment of socio-economic performance of the exploratory fishery in Mauritania lobster is a first step towards a deeper understanding of its cost structure and its dynamics, necessary for the management of TACs and fishing quotas.

Trends in Industrial and Artisanal Catch Per Effort in West African Fisheries

AbstractArtisanal fisheries are generally assumed to generate a lower fishing effort in comparison to the industrial sector. This study aims to comparing catch, fishing effort, and catch‐per‐unit‐of‐effort (CPUE) for each sector, using kWdays as a metric for fishing effort, and kg/kWdays for CPUE. The study, which covers West Africa (1950–2010), finds that the artisanal sector spends 4.7•109 kWdays/year versus 1.3•109kWdays/year by the industrial sector, due to increasing numbers and size of artisanal boats, which in Senegal and Ghana can exceed that of (smaller) industrial vessels. The artisanal total fishing effort increased by 10‐fold between 1950 and 2010, in contrast to a decrease in the industrial effort since the 1990s, which points to the occurrence of Malthusian overfishing, a form of fishing that favors excess labor instead of capital. This analysis finds that the CPUE declined by 1/3 since 1950 driven by a strong decline in the artisanal CPUE, which is 11 times lower than industrial CPUE. This confirms other indicators of decline of fish populations. This study calls for the prioritization of artisanal fisheries, with regard to management and data availability, but also as an important but unregulated sector, which contributes to overexploitation of fish stocks that are vital for communities in West Africa.

Overview of West African fisheries under climate change: Impacts, vulnerabilities and adaptive responses of the artisanal and industrial sectors

Climate change affects ocean conditions, fish stocks and hence fisheries. In West Africa, climate change impacts on fisheries were projected to be mainly negative through multi-facet ways. However, analysis of adaptation responses of fishers to climate change impacts is scarce. This paper reviews the impacts on climate change on fisheries in West Africa and discusses the potential adaptation strategies adopted by both the artisanal and industrial fishing sectors. Overall, climate change and over-exploitation have altered species composition of fisheries catches in West Africa. The effect of ocean warming on fisheries is indicated by the increase in dominance of warmer water species in the landings, shown from an increase in Mean Temperature of Catch, in the region. Climate change induced changes in potential catch and species composition, which inherently have similar symptoms as over-exploitation, are expected to have repercussions on the economic and social performance of fisheries. Both artisanal and industrial sectors may adapt to these changes mainly through expansion of fishing ground that increases operation costs. Our results highlight that historical changes in target species are more common in industrial than artisanal fisheries. This result challenges the prevailing assumption that artisanal fisheries, given their limited movement capacity, would adapt to climate change by shifting target species and/or gear type.

West Africa & the New European Common Fisheries Policy: Impacts & Implications

This chapter examines how the EU Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) has historically affected fisheries in West Africa, and how recently enacted reforms to the CFP may alter or perpetuate trends in this relationship. The CFP’s historical impacts on West African states are explored through its various policy tools, as well as how CFP changes might affect relations between these countries and the EU, with implications for their wider economies.West African states represent some of Europe’s closest neighbors, and the waters comprising their Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZs) are some of the most productive fishing grounds for European fleets. The interests of European fishing nations and those of coastal West African states have often been at odds, however, and scholars have argued that the combined CFP policies have led to a range of consequences, from degraded habitat and diminished stocks to conflicts between domestic and foreign fishers and stymied local economies.This historical legacy is here examined, using existing data and studies to assess these claims. Furthermore, the profound impacts of the EU CFP far beyond European waters are demonstrated, along with the possible impacts of recent changes in the EU CFP for West African fisheries. Multiple policies and reforms are addressed, including the discard ban, the implementation of Maximum Sustainable Yield (MSY), and the establishment of Sustainable Fisheries Partnership Agreements (SFPAs). The implications for West African fisheries are tremendous but also uncertain, and much will depend on the implementation of the rules in distant waters.

Feeding the poor: Contribution of West African fisheries to employment and food security

West African small-scale fisheries are analyzed to determine their contribution to the economy, food security (catches and employment) and poverty alleviation (income and choice of activity). Previous quantitative analysis revealed major discrepancies between official data (which essentially underreports artisanal and ignores subsistence fisheries catches) and re-estimated data obtained from various reports. This resulted in a doubling of the landed value of small-scale fisheries catches to 3.5 billion USD year−1 compared to officially reported numbers. Similarly, employment estimated officially at 1 million fishers was found here to be only 70% higher when subsistence fisheries are included. For the 22 West African countries considered in this study, we estimate that 6.7 million people directly depend on fishing activities for their food and/or livelihood. Furthermore, the present study shows an increasing reliance of West Africa's coastal population on fisheries for their food and income despite decreasing total income and increasing fishing costs, which in turn aggravated poverty. The notion that small-scale fisheries could contribute to poverty alleviation despite crises and shocks is thus highly contestable. Indeed, although the number of people depending on fisheries is still increasing, driven by their current (even though decreasing) profitability, the perception of small-scale fishing as an activity of last resort is probably justified, and more appropriate than viewing it as a source of sustainable livelihood.

Gender, fisheries and development

Abstract Although West African fisheries have been the subject of considerable study, little attention has paid to the role of gender in the development process and, more specifically, the work done by women in the overall management of fisheries. Lack of attention to the gender dimension of fisheries management can result in policy interventions missing their target of creating sustainable livelihoods at the community level. There is little doubt that fishing-dependent communities have a vital role to play in the overall development process of many coastal West African States, but without a complete understanding of the complexity of gender roles, the goal of sustainable livelihoods is unlikely to be achieved. In a bid to improve knowledge about gender roles in fishing communities, and to provide policy makers with some guidance as to where interventions might be most useful, a workshop was held in Cotonou, Benin (West Africa) in December 2003. This paper provides a brief introduction to the theory on gender and fisheries development and then goes on to report the findings of the workshop. The most significant conclusion is that policy interventions which help strengthen institutional capacity in coastal artisanal communities would have the greatest over all impact. A move toward collecting gender and fisheries disaggregated data would also help expand existing knowledge about what are often marginal and isolated economic sectors.

Science et politique des pêches en Afrique occidentale française (1900–1950): quelles limites de quelles ressources?

During the first half of the xxth century, marine fisheries in French West Africa were under the responsibility of the French colonial authority which supported the unprofitable French fishing enterprises operated by small entrepreneurs or larger companies while ignoring African canoe fishing. The authority made up for the deficit incurred by these enterprises and at times backed them in conflicts with other Europeans, against Canary fishermen in Mauritania for instance. From the very beginning, scientists from the French Museum of Natural History assumed the role of experts and advisors for the colonial authority. They recommended the development of industrial fishing and the establishment of processing industries. Prospectless schemes succeeded one another although all parties were agreed about ‘developing’ colonial resources. When problems arose, all — including the fishermen — referred to biological or ecological concerns. For example, in the case of fishing conflicts, arguments focused on the more or less destructive characteristics of a particular practice or of a fishing device. Although the wording differs, the underlying ideas are the same as those put forward today. These early fears contrast with the continuing and huge growth of West-African fisheries. Were these fears founded? An historical approach to fishing issues helps relativize the claims about the limits of natural resources which appear to be the lowest common denominator in communication between the actors, i.e. the administration, scientists and experts, the fisheries sector, especially where these claims contradict the observed long-term development trends.

Artisanal fisheries in West Africa: Problems of management implementation

relevance and effectiveness of management measures for West African artisanal fisheries. The structure of the fisheries is described and the sociological background outlined. The authors then anaiyse direct control over effort, control of imported inputs, closed seasons, taxes and subsidies, and the relevance of such management measures to the West African context. Measures such as changes in the supply of competing protein imports, indirect control through the fish market and management through traditional institutions are discussed and the authors conclude by arguing that, while overfishing does not yet present a serious problem to West African fisheries, the area will present special problems to the fisheries manager in future.

Trawl Fishing in the Tropical Atlantic: Preliminary Bionomic Data from West African Fisheries

Trawl Fishing in the Tropical Atlantic: Preliminary Bionomic Data from West African Fisheries