IMR and Angola has cooperated in fisheries for more than 20 years starting with surveys of the fishery resources within the Nansen Programme in 1985. The current development projects in Angola cover both fisheries research and fisheries management through cooperation with the Ministry of Fisheries (Ministério das Pescas) and the Institute of Marine Research (Instituto Investigação Marhina) in Luanda.
The Norwegian fisheries research vessel “Dr. Fridtjof Nansen” is used for investigations of fisheries resources in Angolan waters, using acoustic methods and trawl surveys supplemented by environmental observations. The resulting data provide the basis for assessments of distribution and abundance of fish and shrimp stocks used for fisheries regulations.
Within the Nansen programme and the following programmes IMR has cooperated with Ministry of Fisheries in Angola and the Institute of Marine Research (Instituto Investigação Marhina) in Luanda. The below mentioned programmes has emerged from this cooperation:
- Fisheries research
- Resource monitoring
- Stock assessment
- Capacity building
- Assistance in maintaining a time series of surveys covering major pelagic and demersal stocks in Angolan waters.
- Training in fishery management and transforming biological information into management actions
- Language and IT training
- Development of a fisheries data collection systems
- Follow-up on oil-fish interactions
- Development of a data centre
- Exchange of researchers and joint research projects and study tours
- Developing a sector study and a master plan for the fisheries sector in the country, this is now being implemented
- Development of a national plan for monitoring of pollution from marine oil development of the fisheries
- Studies on pollution of sediments and water column near platforms
Within BENEFIT the Nansen Programme contribution includes support to the secretariat as well as to research projects. About 40 regional research projects based on data collected by R/V Nansen have been initiated and finalised.
The Benguela Current Large Marine Ecosystem (BCLME) is designed to improve the structures and capacities of the three countries to deal with the environmental problems that occur across the national boundaries, in order to sustainably manage the Benguela Current Large Marine Ecosystem. The main cooperation with the Nansen Programme includes surveys with the objective to assess and identify means in which shared resources between Angola and Namibia and between Namibia and South Africa can be sustainably managed. There has also been a transboundary pollution monitoring survey and training project for the coast of Angola and Congo.
The current programme Fisheries Sector development Angola 2005-2007 includes:
- Strengthen institutional capacity in fisheries management
- Artisanal fisheries development
- ”Oil-Fish-Environment” impact assessment and monitoring
- New fisheries products
