The second meeting of the Regional Working Group for Fisheries Management in the Central West Gulf of Guinea was held in Accra, Ghana, from 17–18 November 2025 under the Regional Partnership for the Coordinated Management of Small Pelagics in the Central West Gulf of Guinea. Convened by the Fishery Committee for the West Central Gulf of Guinea (FCWC) with technical support from the FAO EAF-Nansen Programme, the meeting brought together fisheries managers, scientists, fishing professionals, and regional partners to advance coordinated management of shared small pelagic stocks.
At the centre of the agenda was the validation of the regional baseline report on small pelagic fisheries in the FCWC area. The report, prepared with the financial and technical support of the EAF-Nansen Programme, compiles biological, socio-economic and governance information on the main shared small pelagic species. It confirms that these stocks are under heavy fishing pressure, with declining biomass and catches in several countries and a structural gap between regional production and rapidly growing demand. The report also highlights how small pelagics are central for food and nutrition security, employment and trade throughout the region, while pointing to persistent data gaps and the need for harmonised definitions and statistics.
Building on this shared evidence base, the Working Group reviewed the experience of the 2025 biological closed season for small pelagics implemented in Ghana, Côte d’Ivoire, Togo and Benin. Delegates compared how the 2025 closure had been designed and implemented, including the duration and timing of the closure, the areas covered, the fleets and gears concerned, and the monitoring, control and surveillance (MCS) arrangements. Participants discussed the first biological and socio-economic signals observed after the closure, noting encouraging improvements in catch rates and size composition in some areas, while underlining the need for continued monitoring and longer time series.
On the basis of this review, the Working Group collectively planned the 2026 closed season. Using a regional workplan and calendar, countries identified key milestones leading up to, during and after the 2026 closure. These included stakeholder consultations and communication, fine-tuning of regulations, preparation of MCS operations, and arrangements for documenting both biological responses and establishing socio-economic measures to mitigate impacts. The exercise resulted in a preliminary regional timeline for the 2026 seasonal closure, aligning national plans and setting out the role of the FCWC Secretariat in facilitating coordination, data sharing and joint enforcement monitoring.
The meeting also finalized a policy brief on the management of small pelagic fisheries in the Western Gulf of Guinea, which brings together the findings of the baseline report, CECAF stock assessments, EAF-Nansen survey results and the lessons learned from the 2025 closed season. The brief proposes a package of coordinated measures for shared small pelagic stocks, including:
- harmonised and synchronised seasonal closures;
- freezing the number of units targeting small pelagics
- common regulatory standards for minimum sizes, mesh sizes and spatial protection;
- strengthened and more cooperative MCS to address illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing; and
- accompanying social support measures for vulnerable communities affected by effort reductions
By the close of the two-day meeting, participants had agreed on the main technical content of both the regional baseline report and the policy brief, as well as on next steps for their validation and presentation to FCWC statutory bodies in 2026. The Working Group also identified priority data and capacity needs that will be addressed through the EAF-Nansen Programme and other partners.
The Regional Working Group for Fisheries Management will remain the key technical platform in the FCWC region for translating shared scientific evidence into practical, coordinated management measures for small pelagic fisheries, with the 2026 closed season as a central next step.
