Please read our new report, “Charting a Blue Future for Cooperation between West Africa and China on Sustainable Fisheries.”
West African countries and the People’s Republic of China share a deep mutual interest in supporting the development of sustainable fisheries management throughout West Africa to ensure long-term economic, food, and environmental security in both regions of the world.
Over the past decade, Chinese-owned and -flagged distant water fishing vessels have expanded their presence in West Africa, including building up fishing enterprises and deepening partnerships to access West African waters. This rapid expansion is occurring in a region of small nations that often suffer from a lack of financial, technical, operational, and institutional capacity to manage their fisheries, all compounded by a lack of political will to improve fisheries monitoring and management.
Featured Speakers
Alexa Cole, Director of the Office of International Affairs, Trade, and Commerce, NOAA Fisheries
Dr. U. Rashid Sumaila, Professor and Canada Research Chair (Tier 1), University of British Columbia Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries
Dr. Nong Hong, Executive Director and Senior Fellow, Institute for China-America Studies
Dr. Sam Geall, CEO, China Dialogue Trust
Mustapha Manneh, West Africa Regional Editor, China Dialogue Trust
Moderator
Sally Yozell, Senior Fellow and Director, Environmental Security, Stimson Center