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| Cape Verde Fisheries Research Institute | |
|---|---|
| Name | Cape Verde Fisheries Research Institute |
| Native name | Instituto do Mar e Pescas de Cabo Verde |
| Formation | 1975 |
| Headquarters | Praia, Santiago |
| Region served | Cape Verde |
| Leader title | Director |
Cape Verde Fisheries Research Institute The Cape Verde Fisheries Research Institute is the principal scientific body for marine and fisheries science in Cape Verde. It provides data, stock assessments, and policy advice supporting national and regional frameworks including the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, the Abidjan Convention, and the African Union Blue Economy agenda. Working at the intersection of tropical oceanography, artisanal fisheries, and island development, the Institute collaborates with regional bodies such as the Economic Community of West African States and international organizations including the Food and Agriculture Organization and the International Union for Conservation of Nature.
The Institute traces origins to post-independence institutional building in Cape Verde after 1975, emerging alongside ministries modeled on Portuguese colonial structures similar to those in Portugal and influenced by technical assistance from France and Spain. Early projects mapped artisanal fleets operating from islands like Santiago, São Vicente, and Boa Vista, and engaged researchers trained at institutions such as the University of Cape Verde and the University of Lisbon. During the 1990s the Institute expanded under bilateral programs with the European Union and the World Bank, adopting modern stock assessment methods from centers like the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea. In the 2000s it integrated ecosystem-based approaches promoted by the Convention on Biological Diversity and entered memorandum arrangements with the West African Science Service Center on Climate Change and Adapted Land Use.
The Institute operates as a semi-autonomous public research institute under national oversight linked to the Ministry responsible for maritime affairs and fisheries, interacting with national agencies such as the Direcção Nacional das Pescas and the Instituto Nacional de Estatística. Its governance includes a board composed of representatives from ministries, academia including the University of Cape Verde, civil society groups like local fishers' associations from Sal and Fogo, and international observers from the European Commission fisheries directorate. Scientific leadership is structured into divisions: Fisheries Science, Marine Ecology, Socioeconomics, and Laboratory Services, with advisory links to regional organizations like the Sub-Regional Fisheries Commission and the Commission for the Conservation of Southern Bluefin Tuna for methodological exchange.
Research spans multispecies stock assessment, pelagic fisheries, benthic ecology, and marine spatial planning. Long-term programs monitor stocks targeted by artisanal fleets—tunas assessed using methods from the Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission and small pelagics informed by techniques used at the Plymouth Marine Laboratory. Oceanographic research employs protocols developed by the Global Ocean Observing System and collaborates with ocean modelers associated with the Copernicus Programme and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Socioeconomic studies examine livelihoods linked to ports such as Mindelo and markets guided by methodologies from the Food and Agriculture Organization. The Institute also conducts research on invasive species following frameworks from the International Maritime Organization and on climate impacts using scenarios from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.
Facilities include laboratories for histology, genetics, and stable isotope analysis equipped to international standards used at centers like the Scripps Institution of Oceanography and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. The Institute maintains a small research fleet of coastal vessels and collaborates for deepwater cruises with regional vessels chartered from the University of Cape Verde and research ships tied to the EU Copernicus Marine Service. Shore-based infrastructure comprises sampling stations in harbors such as Praia Harbour and cold-chain facilities modeled after systems in the Canary Islands. Data management follows protocols from the Ocean Biodiversity Information System and interoperates with databases hosted by the WorldFish program.
The Institute supplies scientific advice underpinning national measures including marine protected areas around islands like Santa Luzia and seasonal closures informed by models used by the Indian Ocean Tuna Commission. It provides bycatch mitigation research drawing on practices promoted by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and gear selectivity studies comparable to those undertaken in the Barents Sea programs. Habitat mapping for seagrass and coral communities follows methodologies from the International Coral Reef Initiative and feeds into spatial plans developed with the United Nations Development Programme. Stock assessments and catch reconstructions inform commitments under regional fisheries management organizations and bilateral agreements with distant-water fishing states such as China and Russia.
The Institute runs training programs in cooperation with universities like the University of Cape Verde and international partners such as the University of Algarve and the University of Liverpool. Outreach includes capacity-building workshops for artisanal fishers from communities in Brava and Maio, school programs inspired by curricula used by the UNESCO Ocean Literacy initiative, and public seminars tied to national events such as Independence Day activities. It also hosts internships, visiting scientist schemes with the European Commission fellowships, and participates in regional exchange platforms like the West African Fisheries Network.
Funding derives from national appropriations, project grants from donors such as the European Union, the World Bank, and multilateral agencies including the United Nations Development Programme, alongside research contracts with NGOs like Conservation International and academic collaborations with the University of Cape Verde and the University of Lisbon. Partnerships extend to regional bodies including the Economic Community of West African States and the African Union and to technical partners such as the Food and Agriculture Organization and the Plymouth Marine Laboratory for joint projects and capacity building. Category:Research institutes in Cape Verde