The alarming decline of fish stocks along the West African coast over the past five decades poses severe threats to food security and the livelihoods of countless fishing communities that depend on these resources.
A comprehensive study conducted by the Institute of Environmental Science and Technology at Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (ICTA-UAB) in collaboration with Fundação Maio Biodiversidade (FMB) sheds light on this pressing issue. Small-scale fisheries are not just an economic cornerstone; they are vital for feeding millions and supporting livelihoods, particularly in low-income African nations.
However, the scarcity of reliable statistical data regarding the composition, abundance, and distribution of fishery resources hampers effective management efforts. Newly published research in the journal Marine Policy reveals critical changes in the catches of small-scale fisheries, underscoring a worrying trend: a significant reduction in both the volume of catches and the size of key local species.
This study meticulously combines official catch landing data with invaluable local ecological insights from fishermen and fishmongers on Maio island in Cabo Verde, a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve since 2020. The situation demands urgent attention and action to safeguard the future of these communities and the ocean’s biodiversity.
“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.”
Local communities are increasingly alarmed by certain fishing practices that threaten the sustainability of their resources. Spearfishing with scuba gear and semi-industrial fishing using purse seines and night lights are particularly concerning. Semi-industrial vessels are reported to operate within the three-nautical-mile zone and encroach upon marine protected areas, which are designated for artisanal fishing.
The decline of essential fish species is evident, with groupers (including dusky grouper, island grouper, and African hind) and small pelagic fish like mackerel and bigeye scad being the most affected. Local fishermen assert that the loss of small pelagic stocks due to semi-industrial activities is significantly undermining the artisanal catches of larger pelagic species, such as yellowfin tuna and albacore, both of which hold critical value for local and international markets.
“According to local fishermen, the decline of small pelagic fish due to semi-industrial coastal fishing is negatively affecting artisanal catches of large pelagic species, such as yellowfin tuna and albacore, an important commercial species for local and international markets,” says Benalsy Varela, FMB staff who contributed to the study.
Spiny and slipper lobsters, particularly sought after to cater to more tourist-focused islands, were also deemed to be depleted. The study underscores a phenomenon known as “Shifting Baseline Syndrome,” where individuals gradually adapt their understanding of what constitutes a healthy or natural state to a new reality, thereby losing sight of previous conditions and normalizing it as the ‘new standard.’
Younger fishermen report smaller catches and sizes of fish compared to older generations, yet a greater portion of the younger cohort believes that fish stocks are not diminishing.
Journal reference:
- Thais Peixoto Macedo, Patrizia Ziveri, Benalsy Varela, André Carlo Colonese. Local knowledge and official landing data point to decades of fishery stock decline in West Africa. Marine Policy, 2024; DOI: 10.1016/j.marpol.2024.106447
