Report of the FAO/CECAF Working Group on the Assessment of Demersal Resources - Subgroup North Banjul, the Gambia, 6-14 November 2007/Rapport du Groupe de travail FAO/COPACE sur l'évaluation des ressources démersales - Sous-groupe Nord Banjul, Gambie, 6-14 novembre 2007

Headnote

Report of the FAO/CECAF Working Group on the Assessment of Demersal Resources - Subgroup North.

Banjul, the Gambia, 6-14 November 2007.

Rapport du Groupe de travail FAO/COPACE sur l'évaluation des ressources démersales - Sous-groupe Nord.

Banjul, Gambie, 6-14 novembre 2007.

CECAF/ECAF Series/COPACE/P ACE Séries. No. 10/71. Rome, FAO. 2012. 302 p.

ABSTRACT

A permanent FAO/CECAF Working Group composed of scientists from the coastal countries and from those countries or organizations playing an active role in demersal fisheries in West Africa, was created by CECAF in 2000. The first meeting of Subgroup North was organized in Saly, Senegal, from 14 to 23 September 2004. This report refers to the second meeting of Subgroup North which was organized in Banjul, the Gambia, from 6 to 14 November 2007.

The overall objective of the Group is to contribute to the improved management of demersal resources in Northwest Africa through assessment of the state of stocks and fisheries to ensure the best sustainable use of the resources for the benefit of coastal countries. The study zone for the Working Group is the CECAF zone of the Central-East Atlantic Ocean between Cape Spartel and the south of Senegal.

For reasons of heterogeneity, the species and stocks assessed by the Working Group were divided into four groups: hake, other demersal fish, shrimps and cephalopods. For each of these groups information is provided on the fisheries; sampling schemes and sampling intensity, biological characteristics, stock identity, trends (catch, effort, biological data and abundance indices), assessment, management recommendations and future research.

Approximately 22 different stocks-units were analysed and the results discussed. The quality and trends in basic data (catch, effort, length distribution) collected by each different country and the sampling system, represented some of the main discussion topics of this Working Group.

The results of the assessments confirm the conclusion reached at the last meeting in 2004 that most of the stocks assessed are overexploited. A summary of the assessments and management measures is given at the end of this report.

RÉSUMÉ

Un groupe de travail permanent FAO/COPACE, composé de scientifiques des États côtiers et des pays ou organisations qui jouent un rôle actif dans les pêcheries démersales de l'Afrique occidentale a été cré par le COPACE en 2000. La première réunion...