Scientific advice for fisheries management in West Africa in the context of global change

The chapter presents the process of scientific advice on fisheries in West African countries. Based on a survey among researchers, experts, and managers, it reveals that there are weaknesses within the research institutes regarding institutional and human resources, which may lead to negative impacts on their functioning and the quality of their products. Concerning the administration of users of the advice, there are problems relating to the weakness of human resources and also the lack of clear frameworks for fisheries sector policies and for decision-making processes. The work also highlights the absence of a mechanism enabling the promotion of scientific information to the professionals. It finally appears that there is a need for improvement of the transmission and clarity of the scientific advice. In the context of global change affecting fisheries, the improvement of scientific advice is essential.