Marine mammals and the fisheries along the West African coast

There are no studies of the relationship etween cetaeans and fisheries for West Africa. The widely dispersed unloading centres along the coast make such study difficult. The artisanal fisheries which use a wide variety of gear, do not appear to have any major impact on cetacean populations. This report provides a preliminary review of West African fisheries with particular attention to the problem of catches of marine mammals. The five identified artisanal gillnet fisheries do not often catch cetaceans. Foreign industrial fisheries are more likely to have an impact on cetacean populations.