Along the north-west coast of Africa, generations of fisherfolks have seen their fortunes rise and fall with the ebb and flow of the tides. Many depend on fishing for their survival and, in particular, an abundance of small pelagics—including sardine, sardinella, horsemackerels, mackerel, bonga and anchovies.

These species represent 70 percent of the catches harvested by small-scale fishers and industrial fleets, with total catches in north-west Africa ranging from 1.7 million to 2.5 million tons a year. Climate change is known to impact distribution patterns and the numbers of small pelagic fish, making the sustainable exploitation and management of these resources more challenging.

Since fish are not confined by national boundaries, it is often difficult for national experts and policymakers to monitor their movements regulate fishing activities and implement adequate management measures required to avoid overfishing holistically.

The EAF-Nansen Programme is committed to confronting these critical issues through an ecosystem approach to fisheries management (EAF) and through promoting collaboration for the management of transboundary stocks. The Programme is a partnership between the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (Norad), Norway’s Institute of Marine Research (IMR) and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), and builds on more than 45 years of collaboration and scientific expertise. As we enter the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development 2021-2030, its work has never been more relevant, and the EAF-Nansen Programme has recently become a partner to this initiative.

What makes this Programme unique is dispatching the research vessel, the Dr Fridtjof Nansen, to conduct marine research with the participation of local scientists. The vessel takes its name from the late Norwegian scientist, polar explorer, diplomat, and humanitarian who pioneered ocean research and later won the Nobel Peace Prize.

“We are supporting improved fisheries management, adding scientific information and developing capacity,” says Merete Tandstad, co-ordinator of the EAF-Nansen Programme.

“There are not many programs that have these aspects and also provide a research vessel which can address the knowledge gap and build collaboration among scientists on the boat as well,” says Tandstad.

Saving Sardinella

Two sardinella species—Sardinella aurita (the round sardinella) and Sardinella maderensis (Madeiran sardinella)—were once abundant in north-west Africa but their numbers are now falling due to excessive exploitation. The expansion of the fishmeal industry in the region has increased demand for small pelagic species including sardinella, posing a serious threat to livelihoods and food and nutrition security in a large part of West Africa.

The EAF-Nansen Programme’s “Shared Sardinella” initiative focuses on building regional collaboration for the management of shared sardinella stocks. It aims to promote the EAF by enhancing knowledge, improving data and strengthening capacities, and regional coherence in policy and fisheries management.

The seafloor of St. Lazarus Bank, during the Myanmar Ecosystem Survey in 2015. (Image credit: EAF-Nansen Programme)

The Gambia, Mauritania, Senegal and Morocco are benefitting from this initiative designed to support national governments and the Fishery Committee for the Eastern Central Atlantic (CECAF) to provide advice on sustainable solutions specifically for the improved management of sardinella fisheries. The EAF-Nansen Programme has also historically contributed survey data and support for assessing the stocks of small pelagic species through CECAF.

The Programme’s marine surveys are ambitious in their scope and have various objectives. Off the coast of Africa scientists aboard the Dr Fridtjof Nansen have focused on: mapping and assessing pelagic resources and collecting relevant biological data; collecting samples and mapping the occurrence of phytoplankton, zooplankton, jellyfish, egg and larvae; and recording hydrographical data such as temperature, salinity, oxygen, pH, and water nutrients.

In an important development, researchers have also assessed marine debris and collected samples of microplastics to determine the extent of pollution across thousands of kilometers.

On the east coast of Africa, fishers in the United Republic of Tanzania have also been dealing with falling numbers of small and medium pelagic fish. Small-scale fisheries employ more than 200,000 full time fishers and engage over four million people in fisheries-related activities, and small and medium pelagic fish account for around one-third of the country’s total catch.

The Ministry of Livestock and Fisheries is now implementing the country’s Small and Medium Pelagic Fisheries Management Plan, with support from the EAF-Nansen Programme. Based on the EAF it includes the training of data survey teams and field researchers, and supporting the collection and analysis of the data required for fisheries management.

Gabriella Bianchi, research co-ordinator for EAF-Nansen and a fisheries scientist, says it is a unique opportunity to share data and knowledge with partner institutions in countries in Africa and the Bay of Bengal so they can manage their resources sustainably, in order to comply with the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea and other international instruments.

An Ecosystem Approach to Beach Seine Fishing

Beach seine fishing, a traditional artisanal technique, is also having an impact on fishing communities in the Gulf of Guinea. This type of fishing is not well-regulated and the use of the seine nets has also had an impact on fish stocks, adding to concern about fish abundance, marine habitats and the future of the marine environment.

The EAF-Nansen Programme is assisting Benin, Côte d’Ivoire and Togo with the implementation of national beach seine fisheries management plans. It’s about raising awareness and strengthening collaboration between the scientists, the fishers and the policymakers so these coastal countries can better manage these fisheries to minimize impacts on fishery resources and protect critical habitats.

Sorting the benthos catch during the bottom habitat survey in Northwest Africa in 2020. (Image credit: Tor Ensrud)

Fisheries management measures include increasing the mesh size of beach seine nets to protect juvenile fish and limit damage to the marine environment, effort control to regulate fishing boat and net numbers and implementing seasonal limits and closed areas to conserve fish stocks and critical habitats to ensure the sustainable management of fisheries.

Species Research and Identification

The EAF-Nansen Programme has conducted global research projects which stretch from the southern tip of Spain, around the coast of Africa and across the Indian Ocean to south-east Asia.

An ecosystem survey conducted by the Dr Fridtjof Nansen off the coast of Sri Lanka combined morphological and molecular approaches to species identification in 2018. Ichthyoplankton samples were collected and analyzed by a team of scientists from the National Aquatic Resources Research and Development Agency of Sri Lanka and Norway’s Institute of Marine Research (IMR). The study revealed high larval fish diversity in the tropical central Indian Ocean, exceeding previously reported data and species records.

The vessel can accommodate 26 scientists on each survey, with 19 places reserved for local scientists, and there are seven laboratories on board. Supported by a highly competent crew, vessel research covers biology, fisheries acoustics, oceanography, geology, bottom habitat investigations, and pollution studies. The boat is also well-equipped with pelagic and demersal trawls, gillnets, pots and longlines for fish sampling, winches for deploying and hauling fishing and scientific equipment, an echosounder for medium and deep water, advanced fish sonars and other instruments.

Chelidoperca myathantuni, a species new to science that was discovered and named after a local scientist during a recent survey in Myanmar. (Image credit: FAO/Oddgeir Alvheim)

At a time when many of the world’s species are under threat, the identification of new marine species is particularly gratifying and, according to Gabriella Bianchi, sometimes even the scientists are surprised by what they discover.

“In the latest surveys in Myanmar, for example, we found 23 new fish species on the continental shelf and the continental slope. It is exciting as this region is poorly known,” she says.

In another initiative, the EAF-Nansen Programme profiled the mysterious mesopelagic fish that live in the so-called “twilight zone” of the ocean at depths of between 200-1000 meters. After a survey off the coast of Namibia in 2019, the Programme produced a fully illustrated identification guide to the mesopelagic fish of the central and southeast Atlantic Ocean. The guide, created by a team of taxonomists and scientists and other experts, details 126 lanternfish and 426 other species.

Confronting Climate Change in Fisheries

Climate change is having a huge impact on fisheries as well as the coastal communities who depend on ocean resources for their livelihoods. Extreme events, such as hurricanes, cyclones, sea level rise, ocean acidification, floods and coastal erosion, are already taking their toll as fish stocks are disturbed and natural resources are eroded, endangering species and ecosystems.

The data gathered by the EAF-Nansen through its research surveys provide critical information on the state of fishery resources. Stored in a database managed by IMR for the benefit of all partners, this information on species distribution and numbers, environmental conditions and ecosystem characteristics, enables experts and policymakers to assess future climate change risks and develop meaningful solutions.

Sample of microplastics from survey in the Bay of Bengal in 2018. (Image credit: IMR)

As the International Year of Artisanal Fisheries and Aquaculture 2022 approaches, Gabriella Bianchi says the in situ information on environmental conditions gathered by EAF-Nansen researchers can make a valuable contribution to international research about the impacts of climate change on marine ecosystems.

“If you look at the papers on climate change most come from countries in high latitudes, much less from tropical regions where there is very little data from in situ observations to validate the models that exist. The EAF-Nansen helps fill that gap,” she says.

FAO has published a report that analyzes different methodologies aimed at creating a consistent approach for assessing future climate change risks and vulnerability. The EAF-Nansen Programme has contributed to the report by providing technical support for the review of socio-ecological assessments of vulnerability of coastal communities to climate variability and change.

This feature appeared in Environment, Coastal & Offshore (ECO) Magazine's 2021 Winter edition, to read more access the magazine here.