Twenty years of monitoring reveal overfishing of bony fish stocks in the coastal national park Banc d’Arguin, in Mauritania

A two-decade monitoring study at the Banc d'Arguin National Park, Mauritania, reveals overfishing of traditionally targeted bony fish species, mullet and meagre, with a significant shift towards non-migratory resident species like tilapias and catfishes. The research, utilizing fishery monitoring data and generalized additive models, demonstrates increased fishing effort and changes in catch composition, indicating potential alterations in the local fish community structure. These findings underscore the urgent need for sustainable fishing practices, including seasonal closures during breeding periods and the establishment of biological reference points such as size at first capture and maximum sustainable yield targets to mitigate overfishing and preserve biodiversity.

Lemrabott, S. Y. C., El‐Hacen, E.-H. M., Piersma, T., Sall, A. A., Sidina, E., Mahmoud, L. Y. A., Olff, H., & van Leeuwen, A. (2023). Twenty years of monitoring reveal overfishing of bony fish stocks in the coastal national park Banc d’Arguin, in Mauritania. Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems, 33(8), 833–844. Portico. https://doi.org/10.1002/aqc.3948