Last Updated: 19 June 2008

Subscribe to RSS - add this to your reader to receive an update when new information on this fishery is added.

Fishery species

Sole (Cynoglossus senegalensis)

MSC Assessment Status

The certification body, Food Certification International Ltd., has announced the release of the final Performance Indicators and Scoring Guideposts (PI&SGs) that will be used to evaluate the Gambia Sole fishery against the MSC Principles and Crtieria.

Please refer to the assessment downloads section for further information.

The assessment will evaluate the fishery for compliance with the MSC’s Standard for well-managed and sustainable fisheries through the point of the first draft of the assessment report.

The assessment will use newly developed methodological guidance based on a precautionary risk assessment approach, to compensate for lack of information. The MSC will use this report and reports from other assessments of small scale and data deficient fisheries in this project to evaluate the new approach and to inform a decision on future adoption of the guidance as a component of the MSC’s assessment process

Fishery information

The fishery for sole in the Gambia occurs along the entire coast of the country and in the River Gambia. Sole fish is harvested all year round and  Artisanal fishers use bottom gill nets to catch sole fish. Fishing activity increased in the 1980s when local fishing companies were established. Sole is harvested all year round using bottom set gillnets. The total annual sole catches of this fishery amount to 300 tonnes. The Gambian stock is part of a larger stock that is also fished by neighbouring countries and distant water vessels.

The Gambian Fisheries Department is the main body responsible for managing and developing the fisheries sector. The definition and implementation of fisheries policies, programmes and management measures are guided by a number of principles:

• Conservation and sustainable resource use
• Global responsibility
• Responsible fisheries management
• Collective decision making

The government seeks to involve the fishing industry, NGOs and the public in fisheries planning, monitoring and management.

Sole is a flatfish found in tropical and subtropical oceans, mainly in shallow waters and estuaries. Most of the sole harvested in Gambia is exported to Europe, South Africa and Senegal. Only a small proportion of the catches are consumed locally.