The Fisheries Committee for the West Central Gulf of Guinea (FCWC) is participating in a training course on basic stock assessment organized by the EAF-Nansen Programme at the University of Cape Coast in Ghana from 16 to 20 October 2023.

The course comprising lectures led by established regional fisheries scientists covers basic fisheries stock assessment principles and types of data analyses to improve participants’ understanding of basic concepts of population dynamics models, and how to develop them on a species context for management. Cutting-edge assessment and computation tools to evaluate and understand how to collect and analyze data for ecological and environmental studies are also being introduced.

The participants have brought their own data to better understand and manage their own fisheries; and have been examining this to assess what is happening on their stocks.

The expected outcomes of the workshop include the creation of a working contact between scientists that facilitates collaboration in the production of scientific papers; improved quality of fishery data reported to FAO because of a greater level of competence in stock assessment by local scientists; and improved regional capacities to understand status and trends in developing countries, and better inform fishery management decisions through regional fisheries bodies (like FCWC).