West African Region

The West African region includes three highly productive large marine ecosystems (LMEs): the Canary Current LME, the Guinea Current LME, and the Benguela Current LME. All three regions include a mix of commercial/industrial and small-scale artisanal fisheries. In all three LMEs, fisheries are dominated by catch of small pelagics (herrines, sardines, anchovies, etc), fished largely by purse seine and industrial trawl vessels, many of which are foreign operated. Additionally, in the BCLME, the use of longline vessels to fish for large pelagics (tunas and swordfish), and of longline and trawl vessels to fish for demersal cod-like species are also important. In tropical regions of the GC LME, fisheries are highly diverse in terms of both fishing techniques and target species, and shrimp trawling is economically important in this region. Artisanal fisheries are highly important throughout all of West Africa, north of Namibia.

Bycatch of marine mammals, sea turtles, and seabirds is likely an important problem through West Africa but is mostly unquantified and undescribed. In the CC LME, bycatch of sea turtles and marine mammals is known to occur in mid-water trawls for small pelagics, and marine mammals have been documented as bycatch in artisanal gillnets. In the GC LME, sea turtles are known to be caught in shrimp trawlers, and both turtles and marine mammals have been documented as bycatch in artisanal fleets. In the BC LME, these taxa are both taken in artisanal fleets in Angola, as are seabirds (both indirectly and directly). Also, seabirds and sea turtles are captured in longline fleets in the BC LME. Many fisheries in West Africa have not been studied for bycatch, though it almost certainly occurs. Huge knowledge gaps exist with respect to estimates of bycatch and fishing effort along the entire West African coast, for both commercial and artisanal fisheries. Seabird bycatch is likely restricted to within the BC LME, but mammal and turtle bycatch occur in all regions.