Fish stocks along the West African coast have declined significantly over the past five decades, threatening food security and the livelihoods of the fishing communities that depend on them, according to a study by the ICTA-UAB in collaboration with Fundação Maio Biodiversidade (FMB).
Small-scale fisheries play a vital role in providing food and livelihoods for millions of people around the world, particularly in low-income countries in Africa. However, there is limited statistical data on the composition, abundance, and distribution of the fisheries’ resources, which is crucial for effective management.
New research, recently published in the journal Marine Policy, documents changes in the catches of small-scale fisheries, highlighting a significant decline not only in volume of catches, but also in the size of fish for key local species.
Scientists compiled official catch landing data and combined it with local ecological knowledge from local fishermen and fishmongers on Maio island, in Cabo Verde, designated a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve since 2020.
“Monitoring of fish landings in West African countries is limited and under-represents catches at the local level, especially from artisanal fisheries, creating data gaps that hinder effective management,” says Thais Peixoto Macedo, ICTA-UAB researcher and lead author of the study, who explains that traditional fishers' accounts revealed trends that are poorly captured in official records.
“The findings in this area show us trends that are likely to occur on other islands of the archipelago or other West African coastal areas and should be taken into account in marine resource management plans.”