Casting the Net Widely: Effective Governance and the Contribution of Fisheries to the Development of African Countries

Africa’s marine fisheries and oceans have contributed significantly to the livelihood of the continent’s coastal communities for centuries. The shell middens found off the coast of Eritrea in the Red Sea are the oldest record of human consumption of sea food (Walter et al., 2000; Mayer and Beyin, 2009). The Fantis of Ghana have been fishing along the West African coast since the 18th century (Alder and Sumaiia, 2004; Atta-Mills et al., 2004). Marine resources could continue to serve as a sustainable source of economic development. That is, social and cultural values for coastal African countries if marine resources are managed and governed effectively with regard to the environment. In this chapter, we explore the opportunities and challenges facing African fisheries, with the objective of providing insights for policy-makers and the public, to help them develop policies for the sustainable development of African fisheries, both for current and future generations. By sustainability we here mean the ability to maintain the regeneration potential of fisheries resources indefinitely into the future so that they can support the social and economic needs of the society for many generations to come.