Freshwater Small Pelagic Fish and Their Fisheries in the Major African Lakes and Reservoirs in Relation to Food Security and Nutrition (Fisheries and Aquaculture Technical Paper, 642)

This paper reviews the role of pelagic fisheries for sustainable and healthy livelihoods in Africa. It reviews the biology of the most important pelagic species in lakes and reservoirs, as well as the impacts of environmental and climatic variation on their stocks. It also examines various capture techniques, potential improvements in processing, and the status of national and regional trade within Africa. Small pelagic fish species represent the most high-yielding, eco-friendly, low CO2-emission and nourishing use of the high productive potential of African inland waters. However, a range of social, technical, economic, legal and policy barriers inhibit its full potential to improve nutrition in low-income populations. These include lack of enabling fisheries management legislation and food safety challenges in processing and marketing. The analysis notes the importance of recognizing the neglected socio-economic and nutritional potential of small pelagic "low-value" fish. Moreover, it calls for better catch statistics and more regular productivity assessments, as well improvements in quality by upgrading post-harvest processing and marketing.