Title: 17 An overview of the fishery resources and fishery research in the gulf of guinea
Abstract: The countries of the region have been collaborating in fishery research activities mainly through the activities and support of international organizations such as the Fishery Committee for the Eastern Central Atlantic (CECAF), the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT), and Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD, ex-ORSTOM) and regional projects such as the Gulf of Guinea Large Marine Ecosystem Project. As a result of these activities, a number of resource surveys have been conducted in the Gulf of Guinea over the past four decades, the results of which are examined in this paper. The fishery resources are classified broadly as small pelagics, large pelagics, demersal, crustaceans and molluscs and are currently under various degrees of exploitation. While the small pelagic and coastal demersal resources are over-exploited, deep water demersal and large pelagic resources are either under-exploited or are being exploited close to their maximum sustainable yield. Changes have occurred in the fishery resources over the last two and half decades. The Sardinella aurita stock of the western Gulf of Guinea nearly collapsed in early 1970s and an increase in the abundance of Balistes capriscus was observed during the same period. B. carolinensis which became the most abundant demersal/semi-pelagic species in the 1980s has virtually disappeared from the entire region. Increases in the abundances of small pelagics and cephalopods was observed in the 1990s.
Publication Year: 2002
Publication Date: 2002-01-01
Language: en
Type: book-chapter
Indexed In: ['crossref']
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Cited By Count: 20
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