African shrimp, squid, and fish

Main species: Various fish (mainly bigeye, skipjack, and yellowfin tuna, anchovies, sardines, and mackerel), crustaceans (mainly shrimp), and cephalopods (mainly octopus and squid)

Main commercial products: Fresh, chilled, frozen fillets, shrimp, fish, squid, and octopus; canned tuna and other fish

Fishing grounds: Along the West African coast from Mauritania to North Angola, primarily in the north

European fleets*: Russia, The Netherlands, Lithuania, Spain, France, Ukraine, Latvia, Ireland, Portugal, Italy, Greece, Germany

^{* in order of reported landings in 2004, largest to smallest; countries in bold together accounted for 73% of the total European catch, and 16% of the global catch, in the Eastern Central Atlantic Ocean (marine fish, crustaceans, and molluscs)}

European imports: Europe imports a significant amount of seafood from the region

Fishing methods: Surface, midwater, and bottom trawls; purse seines

Current populations: Detailed scientific data for West African stocks is not available; however, there is evidence of a huge decline in biomass and depleted fish populations in the region, and of current fishing levels being unsustainable.

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