On the occasion of the Fourth Session of the CECAF Sub-Committee for the Management of Fishery Resources Within the Limits of National Jurisdiction held in Dakar, Senegal from 8 to 11 June 1982, some concern was expressed regarding the actual effectiveness of this Subsidiary Body of the Committee. The problem arose directly from an observation that the updating of assessments - and thus the improvement of knowledge regarding the state of resources - was insufficient for the vast majority of the stocks being exploited in the region (Section 33 of the Report). At the Eighth Session of the Committee, Lomé, September 1982, the Chairman of the Management Sub-Committee emphasized this aspect of the Report. He requested that the Committee study this problem and consider the true role that this Sub-Committee should play in the present context of West Africa and the new Law of the Sea, especially in the light of the new responsibilities which the latter implied for coastal countries.
As time was limited and other important problems had to be discussed, the Committee did not elaborate in detail and limited itself to recommending that the Sub-Committee should place on its Agenda the question of the effective regulation of fishing effort (including quotas and total allowable catches - TAC). In this way it indicated its desire to see the Sub-Committee play a more important role than in the past without, however, investigating the practical problems posed by the slow development of national research structures.
In view of the fundamental role played by the Management Sub-Committee within CECAF, and the links between management and development, it seemed urgent to undertake a thorough examination of the problem that is both critical and constructive. To do this, it is necessary to look at the evolution of CECAF since its inception, as well as the development of its responsibilities in management, and summarize the results achieved over the years in the assessment of the resources as well as their utilization for management. In the light of these data, an attempt will be made to arrive at considerations on the role of the Management Sub-Committee; and, inevitably, at the same time the role of the CECAF Committee itself will be examined.
