Inland fisheries

This report analyzes the most important Mauritanian fisheries, those located along the Senegal River. Analyses of the ecosystem"s production potential, actual fish production, and fish demand shows that: potential catch depends on rainfall, which varies significantly from year to year; fishermen are competent and well-equipped, with actual catches equaling potential catches; and the high demand for fish leads to overfishing and, during years of low rainfall, market shortages. It is noted further that hydraulic development projects planned for the Senegal River Basin will upset the delicate ecological balance, increasing fish production upstream, but decreasing it downstream. It is concluded that in order to reestablish an equilibrium of production (including employment and income) and demand in all regions, policies are needed both to protect the natural supply of fish through increased supervision and rationalization of fishing techniques and to intensify artificial, that is, pond, production. Appendices treat inland fisheries" production costs, the possibilities of combining pisciculture with rice growing, and the integrated development project at Paliba.