Since the end of the 1960s, the exploitation of fish stocks in the Eastern Central Atlantic from Morocco to Zaire has undergone considerable development. This development is reflected in an increase in fishing effort, a diversification of gear, products and markets, and a considerable increase in catches - from about 900 000 t in 1964 to a maximum of 3 800 000 t in 1977. Scientific work in the region since intensive exploitation started has, despite the fairly limited means available, shown that there have been important changes affecting demersal and pelagic resources, their composition, their geographic distribution and their abundance. The problem of the instability of stocks of small coastal zpelagics was examined in depth at a technical consultation organized by FAO 1, and certain ideas discussed at this meeting will be taken up again here.
Attention will be given successively to the biological aspects of the instability of stocks and their consequences on the traditional bio-economic modelization of exploitation, and on management methods.
