3.2 Measures to strengthen the sustainability of resource management

When promoting the co-management of fisheries resources, the negative impact on fishermen’s livelihoods due to the decrease in the amount and value of catches caused by fishing restrictions is a major challenge to maintaining the motivation of fishermen and continuously implementing the co-management of fisheries resources. Reducing the negative impact on their livelihoods and maintaining their motivation for resource management activities is key to ensuring the sustainability of resource management activities.

Therefore, it is necessary to introduce motivational measures and activities to compensate for the reduction in profits caused by the limitation of fishing effort resulting from the implementation of the resource management measures described in Section 3.1 by improving the added value of fishery products and introducing alternative sources of income as needed. As mentioned earlier, fisheries resource management in West Africa is less about the management of biological resources and more about how to encourage a change in the behaviour of fishermen who tend to give priority to their own interests. From this perspective, it is important to maintain and strengthen resource users’ motivation to engage in resource management.

Methods to enhance the sustainability of resource management activities are described below.