Problems of Managing the CECAF Hake and Sea Bream Stocks













Table of Contents


by
J.A. Gulland
Chief, Marine Resources Service
Fisheries Department
FAO, Rome

CECAF/ECAF SERIES/79/13 (EN)

PROJECT FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF FISHERIES IN
THE EASTERN CENTRAL ATLANTIC

FISHERIES COMMITTEE FOR THE EASTERN CENTRAL ATLANTIC

FOOD AND AGRICULTURE ORGANIZATION OF THE UNITED NATIONS
UNITED NATIONS DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME
Rome, May 1979

The designations employed and the presentation of material in this publication do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries.


The copyright in this book is vested in the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. The book may not be reproduced, in whole or in part, by any method or process, without written permission from the copyright holder. Applications for such permission, with a statement of the purpose and extent of the reproduction desired, should be addressed to the Director, Publications Division, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Via delle Terme di Caracalla, 00100 Rome, Italy.

© FAO 1979

ABSTRACT

The stocks of hake and sea bream in the northern part of the CECAF area are heavily fished and the fisheries on them would benefit from appropriate management measures. A minimum mesh size in trawls has been recommended but appears not to be generally adopted. This paper examines the practical problems (methods of mesh measurement, short-term falls in catches, fishing on smaller species, methods of inspection, etc.) that need to be considered if mesh regulations are to be effectively implemented and enforced. Consideration is also given to the problems of reducing the total fishing effort, whether uniformly over all fleets, or differentially.

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Table of Contents


1. BACKGROUND

2. ENFORCEMENT OF MESH REGULATION

3. APPLICABILITY OF MESH REGULATIONS

4. CONTROL OF FISHING EFFORT