African Union, October 2025: Collecting existing relevant information in African Union member states and institutions on the state of marine and inland fish stocks

News African Union AUDA-NEPAD marine freshwater fish stock data collection capacity building

COFAD is implementing a short-term study to gather existing information on freshwater and marine fish stocks in five African regions and deduce measures for capacity building.

AUDA-NEPAD has commissioned COFAD to carry out a desk-based assessment of marine and freshwater fish stocks across all five African Union regions. The study will compile existing stock-assessment data from international and national assessment bodies, supplemented by online or in‑person stakeholder consultations and a validation workshop.
The resulting State of Fish Stocks reports aim to inform Member States, RECs and AU institutions for development planning and to guide reforms for improved ocean and inland‑waters governance. Findings will support sustainable fisheries under the AU PFRS and AU Blue Economy Strategy and provide evidence and recommendations to scale up regular stock assessments and regional management measures.