The West African fisheries

The general decline in food production and the rising levels of desertification which leads to death of livestock have prompted the peoples of West Africa to look to fishing as a very important source of food.
Up to the 1960s fish was an important source of animal protein only in the rain forest zone where there is limited livestock farming, especially Pastoralism. But today there is an expanding market for fish in Nigeria, Ghana and Ivory Coast. Fishing as an occupation is thus becoming very important along most parts of the West African coastline.
Much of the fish consumed in and exported from the region comes from marine fisheries, i.e. from the Atlantic Ocean. Countries realising large catches from marine fisheries are Morocco, Western Sahara, Senegal, Ghana, Nigeria, Mauritania and Ivory Coast. Inland or fresh water fisheries are also well developed in some countries.
Most fishermen in West Africa still use very simple methods for catching fish but even then some countries like Ivory Coast, Mali, Mauritania and Senegal are able to produce a small surplus of fish for export. Most countries still have to import large quantities of fish to supplement their own catch.