Applying the Ecosystem Approach to Fisheries for coordinated management of shared small pelagic stocks — central to food security and livelihoods for millions across West Africa.
The project applies EAF principles to manage shared fish stocks, balancing ecological sustainability with food security needs and economic viability of coastal communities across four countries.
Unilateral measures alone cannot protect migratory fish. This project synchronizes biological closed seasons, harmonizes gear regulations and coordinates monitoring across Benin, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana and Togo.
Grounded in CECAF stock assessments and acoustic survey data, the project translates scientific advice into actionable management measures through a dedicated Regional Working Group.
Small pelagics account for roughly 70 percent of fish consumption in West Africa. Management measures are designed to ensure that these essential resources remain available and affordable for low-income communities.
Fishers, women processors, traders, scientists and enforcement agencies are engaged through participatory methodologies including Net-Map actor analysis and World Café visioning exercises.
The project directly supports FCWC Strategic Objective 5 and Strategic Axis 3, strengthening cooperative research and regional information systems for evidence-based decision-making.
Over 14 000 canoes in marine fisheries with motorization exceeding 90 percent. Small pelagics represent 60–70 percent of marine fish consumed. Implementing a moratorium on new vessel licences and the Marine Fisheries Management Plan 2022–2026.
Artisanal marine gears cover the entire coast including the 5-nautical-mile small-scale zone. Focusing on access regulations, vessel registration and beach seine management under the fisheries framework law.
Fisheries provide over 60 percent of animal protein. Small pelagics represent approximately 90 percent of small pelagic catches and 40 percent of total marine landings. Operationalizing co-management committees and marine protected areas.
Gear units targeting small pelagics increased from approximately 450 in 2019 to over 600 in 2022. Implementing the 2025 decree on biological rest periods and accelerating marine protected area creation.
Synchronized biological closed seasons across all four countries: July core closure for artisanal and semi-industrial fleets, July–August for industrial trawlers. Successfully piloted in 2025 and being strengthened for 2026.
Regional moratorium on new licences targeting small pelagics. Freeze on current licensing levels with gradual capacity reduction where overcapacity is documented, using transparent criteria with social safeguards.
Harmonized minimum mesh sizes and catch sizes for priority species. Phase-out of non-selective gears including small-mesh purse seines, beach seines and monofilament nets, with support for gear replacement.
Consolidated coastal exclusion zones, no-take zones around key nursery and spawning areas, and marine protected areas coordinated between fisheries and environment authorities.
Joint patrols across borders, coordinated surveillance and information sharing, shared vessel monitoring systems, and coordinated inspections through the FCWC Regional MCS Centre.
Harmonized indicators and sampling protocols, standardized catch and effort data, improved small-scale fleet sampling, regular transmission to CECAF, and a regional stock status dashboard.
Small pelagics reserved for human consumption. Social support including temporary financial assistance, alternative livelihoods, microfinance for women processors, and reduced post-harvest losses.
Initial closure measures piloted in Côte d’Ivoire. Development of regional baseline report covering 2014–2023 data on fisheries development, catch trends, socio-economic importance, stock status and institutional frameworks.
Establishment of the FCWC Regional Working Group on Fisheries Management. Review of stock status in the FCWC region. National presentations on fisheries management initiatives from all four countries.
All four countries implemented broadly synchronized closures for the first time. Ghana, Benin, Côte d’Ivoire and Togo each enforced closures for artisanal, semi-industrial and industrial fleets targeting small pelagics.
Validated the regional baseline report. Reviewed the 2025 closure implementation across all countries. Finalized the regional policy brief with seven management pillars. Conducted participatory training on historical timelines, actor network mapping and visioning. Developed the shared 2035 regional vision.
Stakeholder consultations and awareness campaigns. Finalization of 2026 closure regulations. Development of regional MCS plan. Baseline data collection and impact assessment methodology. Social support programme design.
Strengthened synchronized closure with enhanced monitoring, improved MCS coordination and integrated social support measures across all four countries.
Post-closure data collection and analysis. National and regional evaluation reports. Recommendations for the 2027 closure season based on evidence and stakeholder feedback.
Continued adaptive management cycle. Strengthening of regional data systems, MCS cooperation, institutional development and long-term political commitment towards sustainable fisheries.
“By 2035, small pelagic stocks in the FCWC region will be restored and maintained at sustainable levels through coordinated and harmonized management, ensuring food security, economic prosperity of coastal communities, and healthy marine ecosystems for current and future generations.”
Strengthened sub-regional coordination with harmonized measures, sustained political commitment and a common regulatory framework adapted to local realities.
Active collaboration among governments, fishers, communities, scientists and enforcement agencies. Systematic sharing of knowledge, data and innovative solutions.
Ecological: restored stocks and healthy ecosystems. Economic: stable incomes and viable communities. Social: guaranteed food security and preserved livelihoods.
Regional monitoring and assessment system, management based on best available evidence, and rapid adjustment mechanisms to respond to changing conditions.
Comprehensive analysis covering 2014–2023: historical development, catch trends, socio-economic importance, biological characteristics, stock status and institutional frameworks across the four countries. Validated by the Working Group in November 2025.
Seven-pillar management package proposing harmonized seasonal closures, effort control, gear regulations, spatial measures, strengthened MCS, improved data collection and social measures. Finalized December 2025.
Three-phase implementation timeline: preparation (November 2025 to June 2026), biological closure (July–August 2026) and analysis (September–November 2026) with national and regional activities.
Documented for all four countries from independence to 2025, covering stock collapses, management interventions, environmental events, policy changes and regional cooperation milestones.
Country-specific governance maps showing relationships, influence patterns, information flows and resource dynamics among key actors in small pelagic fisheries management.
Shared regional vision integrating country-specific objectives from Benin, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana and Togo around four strategic pillars: governance, cooperation, sustainability and adaptive science.
Detailed reports from the first and second meetings of the FCWC Regional Working Group on Fisheries Management, documenting decisions, technical reviews and agreed follow-up actions.
The Fisheries Committee for the West Central Gulf of Guinea provides overall coordination, political engagement and implementation support as the lead regional body.
A longstanding FAO–Norway partnership providing technical expertise, capacity building, funding and facilitation of working group processes for EAF implementation.
Norway’s Institute of Marine Research is a key executing partner, contributing acoustic surveys and ecosystem-level monitoring through the EAF-Nansen Programme.
Norway is the primary donor of the EAF-Nansen Programme, supporting sustainable fisheries management and marine ecosystem monitoring across partner countries.
The Economic Community of West African States provides the broader political and policy framework for regional fisheries governance and ministerial engagement.
Fisheries directorates and commissions in Ghana, Benin, Côte d’Ivoire and Togo lead national-level implementation, enforcement, data collection and stakeholder engagement.
The EAF-Nansen Programme supports sustainable fisheries management across Africa and beyond, as an endorsed United Nations Ocean Decade Action.
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