4. RECOMMENDATIONS

4.1 Total Nominal Catches
4.2 Fishing Effort and Catch per Unit Effort
4.3 Biological Data

From the review of fishery data available for assessing the CECAF stocks, several suggestions for improvements can be put forward.

4.1 Total Nominal Catches

- By countries

In order to monitor the whole effects of fishing on the size and composition of catches and stocks, priority should be given to the collection and reporting of total national nominal catches. Even if initially certain approximations are necessary, each country should, as a matter of urgency, regularly report to CECAF the total catches made in the CECAF area by all vessels flying its flag and adequately allocated by:

(a) species or species groups according to the list given in Annex 4

(b) CECAF statistical divisions (see map in Annex 2); and

(c) main types of fishing according to the list given on page 3, par.(c).

(a) contact the statistical office in the country to which the vessels belong and, in collaboration with it, work out appropriate arrangements for data collection (technical assistance may be required for devising the statistical programme as well as financial support for its implementation);

(b) give priority to the collection of corresponding catch and when recording them clearly identify the flag of fishing vessels and the country where fish are landed;

(c) regularly report the corresponding statistics to the country actually fishing and to CECAF. The country where such catches are landed must never include them in its national production;

(d) within a country the different ministries should coordinate their statistical standards to ensure a consistent approach. For example, the fisheries statistical focal point should not treat as local production what the customs officers classify as imports in the shape of direct foreign landings.

Trans-shipments made between vessels of non-coastal countries, as well as catches by vessels flying flags of convenience must be reported by the flag country. In many cases, this will entail that the statistical offices of countries to whom the fishing companies belong check with corresponding offices in coastal countries where trans-shipment occurs, or in those allowing their flag to be flown, that adequate arrangements are made to ensure proper collection and reporting of catch statistics. Considering the importance and difficulties raised by this question, it would be advisable under the CECAF project to recruit a consultant on national accounting to pursue this study on the present situation and arrangements for the collection of statistics in multi-national fishing companies, and to submit suggestions for improvement.

- By species and species groups

To facilitate country reporting of catch statistics according to CECAF requirements and standards, the list of species for which separate assessment of statistics are required should be included in the list already printed in STATLANT 34B forms, as well as in other relevant documents (FAO Fish.Circ. No. 461, STATLANT 34A form and the corresponding notes for their completion). Annex 4 contains a complete list as could appear in the future in the STATLANT 34B form. In addition the “Notes for completing STATLANT 34A form” should stress that, when reporting their national catches by statistical divisions, countries should provide separate figures of total annual catches for each of the 17 species and 5 species groups selected for stock assessment purposes - even if some approximations are temporarily required to that effect.

The list in Annex 4 gives the minimum breakdown desirable at present for reporting national catches. This should not prevent countries already collecting more detailed data from submitting their statistics in the same detail as they themselves use since individual country categories can be subsequently regrouped so as to fit the categories adopted at regional level.

CECAF has not yet checked whether the majority of countries are actually in a position to allocate their national catches under the taxonomic groups enumerated in Annex 4. When the data stored by the FAO Fishery Data Centre have been tabulated, the Secretariat should identify the countries which do not satisfy the regional standards and then check with the national offices concerned whether or not they can adjust their national systems so that they meet the regional requirements. In the light of replies received, a definite list for the region would then have to be agreed upon and all countries urged to report their catch statistics accordingly. Such data submitted on STATLANT NS, 34A and 34B forms, regrouped under different headings, would be used for the preparation of the Yearbook of Fishery Statistics and the Regional Statistical Bulletin.

Regular sampling of catches made for reduction purposes - which is indispensable for monitoring changes in time and space occurring in the species composition of catches - is another most urgent task to be undertaken. Once again, statistical and research institutions in home countries, and corresponding services in coastal countries from which such fleets operate, should investigate how to collaborate in conducting the required sampling programmes.

Species identification by staff responsible for the collection and processing of catch data may involve practical difficulties in countries that do not yet have appropriate research facilities. Therefore, the CECAF project should consider how to issue as soon as possible identification sheets for commercial species, similar to those already published by FAO for the Mediterranean and the Eastern Indian Ocean.

- By statistical divisions

The most frequent shortcoming affecting national statistics kept in CECAF files is the lack of information, or even a rough indication, as to the geographical location of fishing, inside and outside the CECAF area. As noted above, the need to allocate statistics by CECAF statistical divisions refers not only to catches but also to catch per unit of effort and to length frequency distributions. Improvements in this respect will depend on the implementation of programmes for monitoring fishing vessel activities (through distribution of log books, for instance). Until such time as such programmes become operational, countries should endeavour to make approximate breakdowns based on whatever information is available regarding the fishing grounds visited by national fleets - in order to supply their data on catch, catch per unit of effort and length frequency distributions, by statistical divisions or at least by adjoining divisions.

4.2 Fishing Effort and Catch per Unit Effort

Countries able to estimate, for each national fleet unit, total effort exerted on main stocks should report them to FAO, with corresponding figures on nominal catches, on the STATLANT 34B forms distributed annually by FAO for such a purpose.

Unfortunately, only a few countries are as yet in a position to gather such complete statistics. Still in research laboratories and fishing company files in many countries there are historical records on effort and corresponding catch referring to activities of particular groups of boats. Whenever possible, special form should be districted to fishing companies so that catch and effort recorded by them are regularly assembled and processed.

Actually such data are of the utmost value for stock assessment as they provide independent sets of indices of stock abundance, particularly when they cover en appreciable number of years. Such historical series therefore need to be quickly inventoried and processed. Therefore to facilitate their transmittal to CECAF, a special form (see Annex 5) has been designed which for many CECAF member countries has the following advantages:

(a) it is not necessary to know the nominal effort exerted by all vessels of a single fleet;

(b) the portion of total effort actually recorded may differ for the various units of fishing effort available;

(c) statistics regarding very similar types of vessels (e.g., sister ships) can be reported separately and need not be pooled in more heterogeneous vessel size categories (in terms of fishing power).

In artisanal fisheries estimation of catch and effort data, as also biological sampling for species composition and length frequency distribution, are merely components of the much broader problem of drawing up plans for permanent monitoring and sampling. Since as yet only few countries possess the requisite know how for designing appropriate statistical schemes, the technical assistance of the regional statistician is of prime importance. Finally, it should be stressed that improvement of national statistical programmes practically everywhere depends on progress made in training national specialists.

4.3 Biological Data

Emphasis should be laid on sampling and measurements of commercial landings. Reviews at country level of programmes underway should lead to better use of available means. In the species list prepared by the CECAF Working Party on Resources Evaluation, each country should concentrate on sampling the stocks of major importance for its own economy.

Regular sampling of fleets operating for long periods far from national statistical networks does raise particular difficulties. For fleets operating from West African ports, collaboration between analogous offices of coastal and non-coastal countries concerned should lead to noticeable improvements in that respect. Joint programmes could include regular sailings of local technicians on board foreign vessels operating under joint venture arrangements. The possibility of implementing such arrangements should be investigated with priority in ports like Nouadhibou or Las Palmas where large quantities of fish, landed or trans-shipped locally, escape the national programmes for sampling and data collection.

Finally, each country should adopt the standards recommended by CECAF as regards measurements and reporting of length frequency distributions, or else inform the Secretariat of the reasons preventing their application. In all cases, moreover, the weight of samples should be recorded and given.