For many African states, reports of diminishing fisheries are increasingly common particularly for fish species that are highly targeted in commercial, artisanal and recreational fishing sectors. The challenge is further exacerbated by the presence of limited data and information on the stock status for majority of these fisheries. In addition, there is limited capacity to conduct comprehensive fisheries stock assessments in coastal and island states which directly impacts the sustainable management of fisheries resources.
Consequently, there is an urgent need to develop and improve expertise in data collection and quantitative fisheries assessment. This was the major motivation behind the Regional Training Course on Practical Tools in Quantitative Fisheries Stock Assessment which had a theme of “Investing in Skills and Knowledge”. This comprehensive 10-day hands-on training organized by The African Billfish Foundation in partnership with the University of Florida and Pwani University was held between the 16th and 26th July 2018 at Pwani University, Kenya.
The fisheries stock assessment training hosted a total of 57 participants from various countries which included Somalia, Kenya, Tanzania, Zanzibar, Mozambique, Madagascar, Seychelles, Angola, Equatorial Guinea, Guatemala, USA and Malawi.