Effectively regulating foreign fishing to improve food security and fishery sustainability in Africa
Abstract Africa is the poorest continent with a burgeoning population and experiencing the most severe food insecurity and overfishing in the world. Searching for sustainable development pathways, we systematically analyzed a comprehensive dataset on fish consumption, international trade, production by local and foreign fleets, and fishery resource status available for the last 70 years. Our findings show that Africa relies on imports to supplement the lowest per capita fish consumption among continents while foreign fleets fish legally or illegally in African waters, annually landing approximately 3.3 million tonnes of fish (equivalent to 48% of the total marine catch reported by African countries) outside Africa in 2017. While restoring overfished stocks, Africa should urgently transform the regulation and use of foreign fishing to satisfy various demands for more fish for African people, better profits and social prospects for the fishery sector, and sustainable fish resources as required by the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.