The EAF-Nansen Programme has supported partner countries in their efforts to implement sustainable fisheries since 1975. More recently, work besides fisheries has also been dedicated to addressing human-related pressures on marine ecosystems such as oil and gas exploitation activities, recognizing that these may also represent a major threat to fisheries and ecosystem sustainability. Increasing oil and gas exploitation activities in the absence of adequate monitoring programs represent a major source of concern. In this context, the EAF-Nansen Programme, with the R/V Dr. Fridtjof Nansen, supports partner countries with setting baselines as the basis for monitoring systems in support of environmental management in areas where oil and gas activities are being developed. Following up upon request by the Governments of Mauritania and Senegal, a survey was organized between 22 October and 16 November 2021 with the main objective of developing a baseline for future monitoring of possible impacts of oil and gas activities at sea in the region between 17º and 15º south. The sampling scheme was planned to be in line with the Guidelines for Monitoring the Environmental Impact of Offshore Oil and Gas Activities by the OSPAR Convention for the Protection of the Marine Environment of the North-East Atlantic. Preliminary results are already available from bottom habitat mapping and are presented in this policy brief because of their relevance to the ongoing developments in gas exploitation in Mauritania and in Senegal.

This identification guide includes 552 species of mesopelagic fishes (i.e. those fishes residing primarily between 200-1000 m depth during daytime) that are known to occur in the central and south east Atlantic Ocean. Fully illustrated dichotomous keys to all taxa are provided. Species are treated in detail, with accounts including the scientific name, FAO common name in English (where available), other useful characters, size, a distribution map, and one or more illustrations. To facilitate even further the identification of the taxa, captions and arrows are added to help users quickly locate their key morphological features. The guide is intended for both specialists, and nonspecialists who have a working knowledge of ichthyology.

This identification guide includes 56 species of macro (> 5 cm in diameter) jellyfishes (cnidarians, ctenophores, and thaliaceans) that are known to occur off the coast of West Africa. It provides fully illustrated dichotomous keys to all taxa, an illustrated glossary of technical terms for each main group, and species accounts including the scientific name, diagnostic features, colour, size, ecology, stinging, geographical distribution, and one or more illustrations. The guide is intended for both specialists, and non-specialists who have a working knowledge of biology.

The implementation of an ecosystem approach to fisheries (EAF) contributes to sustainable fisheries in various ways. The EAF-Nansen Programme has assisted several countries to understand, adopt and use an ecosystem approach in the management of their marine and coastal fisheries. The ecosystem approach to fisheries implementation monitoring tool (EAF IMT) is a tool for decision support and planning in the fisheries management process. It can be used by countries in strategic and operational planning processes for their fisheries, assisting them to determine where they are making acceptable progress and where there continue to be gaps and difficulties to address.