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Casting the Net Widely: Effective Governance and the Contribution of Fisheries to the Development of African Countries

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New Approaches to the Governance of Natural Resources

Part of the book series: International Political Economy Series ((IPES))

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Abstract

Africa’s marine fisheries and oceans have contributed significantly to the livelihood of the continent’s coastal communities for centuries. The shell middens found off the coast of Eritrea in the Red Sea are the oldest record of human consumption of sea food (Walter et al., 2000; Mayer and Beyin, 2009). The Fantis of Ghana have been fishing along the West African coast since the 18th century (Alder and Sumaiia, 2004; Atta-Mills et al., 2004). Marine resources could continue to serve as a sustainable source of economic development. That is, social and cultural values for coastal African countries if marine resources are managed and governed effectively with regard to the environment. In this chapter, we explore the opportunities and challenges facing African fisheries, with the objective of providing insights for policy-makers and the public, to help them develop policies for the sustainable development of African fisheries, both for current and future generations. By sustainability we here mean the ability to maintain the regeneration potential of fisheries resources indefinitely into the future so that they can support the social and economic needs of the society for many generations to come.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Fisheries Centre and the Fisheries Economics Research Unit, University of British Columbia, Canada

    Ussif Rashid Sumaila (Professor and Director)

  2. Department of Resource Management and Environmental Studies, University of British Columbia, Canada

    Dawit Tesfamichael (Researcher in Environment and Social Systems)

Authors
  1. Ussif Rashid Sumaila
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  2. Dawit Tesfamichael
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Political Studies, Queen’s University, Canada

    J. Andrew Grant (Associate Professor) & W. R. Nadège Compaoré (Researcher) (Associate Professor) &  (Researcher)

  2. Saint Paul University, Canada

    Matthew I. Mitchell (Assistant Professor) (Assistant Professor)

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© 2015 Ussif Rashid Sumaila and Dawit Tesfamichael

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Sumaila, U.R., Tesfamichael, D. (2015). Casting the Net Widely: Effective Governance and the Contribution of Fisheries to the Development of African Countries. In: Grant, J.A., Compaoré, W.R.N., Mitchell, M.I. (eds) New Approaches to the Governance of Natural Resources. International Political Economy Series. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/9781137280411_10

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