Small-scale fisheries (SSF) are the backbone of coastal communities around the world. They make up about 90% of all fishers and provide nearly half of the global fish catch, supporting millions of families with food and income. Yet, despite their enormous value, SSF are often left out of national policies and official statistics. Additionally, their diversity, decentralisation, and remoteness challenges of SSF the collection of reliable social and ecological data. This lack of information makes it harder to design management measures that protect both coastal ecosystems and the people who depend on them. In São Tomé and Príncipe, one of the most fisheries-dependent Small Island Developing States (SIDS), a collaboration between national and international partners has been working with fishers and coastal communities since 2017 to change that. By involving local resource users directly and combining ecological and social knowledge, the project has helped fill critical data gaps and supported the design of the country’s first network of Marine Protected Areas. This approach shows how meaningful participation and attention to both people and nature are essential for building sustainable coastal futures.
See pre-recording here: https://youtu.be/WkDJ1NMQAKo

🐟 With support from the FISH4ACP project, the Fisheries Directorate of São Tomé and Príncipe is implementing smartphone technologies to monitor artisanal fisheries!
🐟 Questionnaires to collect fisheries data have been developed using the free platform KoboToolbox.
🐟 During the past week, 14 data collectors from different landing sites have been trained on fisheries data collection using tablets.
🐟 Data collectors had the opportunity to test the new tool and provide feedback, so we could improve questionnaire flow and interface.
🐟 During the coming weeks, data collectors will receive continuous support from supervisors of the Fisheries Directorate to facilitate the transition to the new tool.

FISH4ACP is a partnership between FAO, European Union, Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), and Secretariat of the Organisation of African, Caribbean and Pacific States (OACPS)

🐠 New paper!!
Our BRUVS study in São Tomé and Príncipe has just been published! This study is the first BRUVS survey in this data-poor archipelago, with 400+ deployments in two years! Open access paper available at https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0312849
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Summary of key findings ⬇️
🐠 WHERE? São Tomé and Príncipe is a small archipelago in the Gulf of Guinea and it is considered one of the most fisheries-dependent countries in the world!
🐠 WHY IS THIS STUDY IMPORTANT? The lack of ecological data on marine fish communities in the archipelago hinders the design of effective management measures.
🐠 WE AIMED TO: (1) Characterise fish species composition in São Tomé and Príncipe, and (2) Understand the effect of environmental variables relevant for marine planning on fish communities.
🐠 HOW? We deployed 400+ benthic Baited Remote Underwater Video Systems (BRUVS) a low-cost, non-invasive monitoring technique.
🐠 WE FOUND: (1) All environmental variables contributed to overall species richness (highlighting the need of protecting habitat mosaics); (2) However, rocky reefs and maerl were particularly important for management, having higher abundance of species important for artisanal fisheries. (3) Additionally, we observed potential effects of fishing impacts in São Tomé, with a much lower abundance of species targeted by artisanal fisheries.

🐠 This study was a collaborative effort between national and international organisations, aiming to establish a network of MPAs in the country. Learn more about it in https://rede-ampstp.com !

Dried fish exports to São Tomé island are an essential income-generating activity practised by fishers (men) and fish traders (women) in communities of artisanal fishers on Príncipe island. Furthermore, this activity is one of the few income-generating activities that women can access and is one of the few sources of external fund injection into the coastal communities on Príncipe.  In June 2020, Fundação Príncipe conducted a telephonic survey to understand the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on the livelihoods of 22 rural communities on Príncipe (n=132, snowball sampling). The results revealed that the value chain for both fresh and dried fish had been strongly impacted by the pandemic. Unemployment and the collapse of the tourism industry had dramatically reduced the demand for fresh and dried fish on the island, forcing fishers and traders to sell at lower prices. Moreover, disrupted boat transport had greatly restricted the ability to export dried fish, due to reduced frequency of shipments and a travel ban that prevented traders from going to São Tomé to sell fish. Finally, traders - who obtain the fish they export directly from fishers - reported not having enough funds to buy fish and salt it in sufficient quantities for export due to the COVID-19 induced financial crisis.
A Value Chain Analysis to understand these issues was conducted between August and September 2020. The results were presented on March 4, 2020. See video below, and full report here.

This week, our fish is the fanciest sea creature of the Gulf of Guinea! This flying gurnard (Dactylopterus volitans) was caught on camera on the past September 2019, in a shallow area close to São Miguel (São Tomé). The pectoral fins of this species are divided in two, and the anterior half can move independently forming two sensorial “fingers” that they use to scratch the bottom in search for food. The other half are their characteristic “wings”, which they can open when threatened to scare off their predators. It is quite common to see this well-dressed fish hovering elegantly over São Tomé and Príncipe’s sandy bottoms with their colourful fins expanded.
This activity is part of an initiative funded by the Blue Action Fund and Arcadia Fund, led by Fauna & Flora International, and implemented by the local organisations MARAPA, Oikos and Fundação Príncipe, with the objective of establishing a network of Marine Protected Areas in São Tomé and Príncipe. The 2019 videos from São Tomé are currently being analysed by Adam Dixon, a master’s student of the MSc Biodiversity and Conservation programme at the University of Exeter.