As per the press release the African conference on aquaculture will commence on 8 June in Libreville, Gabon, to facilitate fishing cooperation between African countries riparian of the Atlantic Ocean (COMHAFAT), based in Rabat, Morocco. Executive Secretariat of the regional organization, has arranged this meeting in collaboration with the Gabonese government and the Japanese Foundation for International Cooperation in Fisheries (OFCF-Japan).
Record shows that nearly 11 million Africans depend on fishing for their livelihoods, while fish resources account for nearly 50 percent of the animal proteins of several countries. FAO data states that despite the existence of a proven potential, aquaculture is still under developed in Africa and represents only 1.8 percent of the world’s aquaculture production, considering that in 2008 its contribution in sub-Saharan Africa was only 0.5 percent and 1.3 percent in North Africa.
COMHAFAT is anxious to make its members benefit from the latest technical developments in commercial fish-farming with a view to a net improvement of production. COMHAFAT’s goal is to harmonize policies in the fields of exploitation, conservation and valorization of fish resources in the Atlantic Ocean, from Morocco to Namibia.
The organization also intends to promote a harmonization of national initiatives and to pave the way for reflections on possible synergies and the optimization of each and everyone’s belonging. The main areas of intervention of COMHAFAT are the conservation and exploitation of fish resources, the monitoring, surveillance and control of fishing boats, the development of fish production and production tools.
