An overview of fisheries and sea turtle bycatch along the Atlantic coast of Africa
Some of the most productive and diverse marine ecosystems found anywhere in the world are located along the Atlantic coast of Africa. Industrial fishing fleets from Africa and foreign nations exploit the commercially valuable fishing resources in coastal exclusive economic zones (EEZs) and on the high seas. Small scale artisanal fisheries operate extensively in coastal areas, catching a wide variety of species for subsistence and local trade. Incidental capture of sea turtles in the world's fisheries poses an urgent challenge to conservation and management efforts, and Atlantic Africa is no exception. The region supports important nesting and foraging grounds for five species of sea turtles loggerheads Caretta caretta (Linnaeus, 1758) green turtles Chelonia mydas (Linnaeus, 1758) leatherbacks Dermochelys coriacea (Vandelli, 1761) hawksbills Eretmochelys imbricata (Linnaeus, 1766) and olive ridleys Lepidochelys olivacea (Eschscholtz, 1829) This study characterizes the predominant fisheries in the region and compiles the available information on sea turtle bycatch in 21 countries between Mauritania and Namibia; intentional take is also described. Despite the active fisheries in the region, detailed information on sea turtle fisheries interactions is sparse for most African countries in the eastern Atlantic, highlighting an urgent need to address this gap.