An Audit Of Inland Capture Fishery Statistics Africa

The other African countries are examined in less detail.

The two and a half day Advisory Roundtable was convened to contribute to FAO’s response to the request by the 32nd Session of the Committee on Fisheries (COFI), to advise FAO on its approach to developing a more comprehensive report on methods and data and analytical approach, which could be used to provide a credible, objective and replicable assessment of inland fisheries; and ii) provide guidance on tools that could be provided to member states seeking advice with respect to assessing the status of their inland fisheries (yield/production, threats & drivers), predicting future impacts and how to quantify the effect of mitigation/adaptation measures on fisheries. The roundtable reviewed and discussed the background that had led up to the meeting to scrutinize the purpose of an assessment and the scope of coverage and how this could be used to determine the status of inland fisheries. It further developed the criteria to conduct such an assessment, and then attempted to apply the approach to a number of basins. This practical exercise was based on concrete examples from countries or basins with which the experts were familiar. It was concluded by the roundtable, that the use of a dual index approach is the right way to go, and that it can be used to assess fisheries both at the national, basin, regional and global levels although different levels of resolution will be required and may thus have somewhat different data requirements. Adding a valuation element will direct investment towards the fisheries that provides most benefit to society in the context of the priorities set at the national level. At the national level, data may include yields, catches, threats, and measures that can be used to estimate future adaptive capacity. For global level analysis an index approach will be necessary relying on “big” data. Any information system should be useful to serve, first and foremost, the countries that collect/analyse and provide the data. Reports to FAO that could be compiled into a global picture of the state of inland fisheries would be a value added product of this process. The national reports would also have utility in reporting on progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals/Aichi Targets.

The FAO Fishery and Aquaculture Circular C942 Revision 3 (C942 Rev. 3) updates and expands the scope of previous revisions of the circular. C942 Rev. 3 is an important baseline document, intended to assist in the global understanding of inland fisheries and inform dialogue on their current and future role. The third revision reviews the status and trends of inland fisheries catch at global, continental and subcontinental levels. It places inland capture fisheries in the context of overall global fish production, and calls attention to the importance of inland capture fisheries with respect to food security and nutrition and the Sustainable Development Goals. It quantifies global inland fisheries resources in terms of food production, nutrition, employment, economic contribution with respect to those countries/regions or subnational areas where they are important. A characterization approach to distinguish large-scale and small-scale fishing operations and their relative contributions is provided. The review provides estimated economic values of inland fisheries, as well as a valuation of potential replacement cost of these (in terms of dollars, other resources such as land and water, feeds). There is also an analysis of the extent and economic value of recreational inland fisheries. The contribution to employment and the gender differences related to this are quantified. The linkages between inland fisheries and biodiversity are also explored. C942 Rev. 3 discusses ways to measure and assess inland fisheries, in particular, how to establish more accurately inland fishery catches in the many situations where there are challenges to collection of catch statistics.

Small pelagic fish species found in lakes and introduced to reservoirs dominate by volume and contribute some of the most important inland fisheries in Africa with steadily increasing catches and additional potential. This circular reviews the status and importance of the pelagic fish and fisheries, together with small fish in general, for sustainable and healthy livelihoods in Africa. It reviews the biology and biological production of the most important pelagic species in lakes and reservoirs as well as the impacts of environmental and climatic variation on the stocks of these species. It examines and discuss the various capture techniques together with potential of improvements in the fisheries and associated processing and national and regional trade within Africa. The knowledge generated by the circular will be useful for policy makers and development practitioners to design and implement more effective policies, strategies and programs that will contribute to reducing the food insecurity and conflicts that currently affect the people in sub-Saharan Africa.

This review presents summary information on 45 river and great lake basins of the world, which support inland fisheries. The information presented is drawn from published information in peer-reviewed journals as well as grey literature. Each basin summary is presented in a common format, covering the description of the fishery, estimates of catch and numbers of people engaged in the fishery, important biodiversity features and threats to the fishery. An analysis of the replacement costs of inland fish of the basin is also presented. This is expressed in terms of the water, land and greenhouse gas footprint that would arise if the inland fish that are currently produced had to be replaced with other forms of food (such as aquaculture fish, livestock or field crops).

Major changes in policy and management , across the entire agricultural production chain, will be needed to ensure the best use of available water resources in meeting growing demands for food and other agricultural products. This new volume in the successful History of Water Series focuses on the African continent to address this key issue. Humanity has its roots in Africa and many of our food systems developed there. All types of agricultural production are present and the sheer size of the continent offers wide ecological variation from extreme desert to dense rainforest. Drawing together leading international contributors from a wide variety of disciplines Water and Food offers new insights into the evolution of food systems, from early hunter gatherers to the global challenges of the modern world.

Drylands cover more than half sub-Saharan Africa and are home to nearly 50 percent of the region's people. This review documents resilience to climatic variability of fish resources in the sub-Saharan drylands. It also examines the potential for increasing their supply through improved use of available bodies of water, especially small reservoirs.